The 'What If' and 'How About' Star Wars Collection
by Triscribe
Summary: Luke and Leia raised by so-and-so; Ezra found at this age, at that age; taught to be Jedi, trained to be Sith - all possibilities have a starting point, sending them off on wildly different journeys from the original. These are just a handful of AUs in a myriad multiverse. (First chapter is a table of contents with individual descriptions.)
1. Table of Contents

_I have lots of ideas. Too many for my own good, according to some among my friends and family. So, rather than take forever trying to write out full plots for all of these and maybe wind up only posting one or two, I decided to break things up a little bit, and do one snippet at a time. The early chapters will be pretty small, as they're mostly just the initial nuggets that sparked each AU, but subsequent parts will get longer, I promise._

Table of Contents

 **1\. Realm of Darkness** (Ch 1, 5, 9, 13, 39, 56,

-He found them when they were four. He began taking them on assignments when they were eight. A decade later, Vader has trained his children to be perfect. The time has come for them to conquer an Empire.

 **2\. Push and Pull** (Ch 2, 8, 18) Complete

-Anakin Skywalker died with the rest of the city's Police Force in the '66 takeover. Vader now serves as Mayor Palpatine's right hand man, in darkness and the light of day. He never expected the Skywalker children to seek him out, but that's exactly what they did.

 **3\. Never Hurt Him** (Ch 3, 48)

-Six year old Luke has lots of people who love him - his mommy, his Uncle Obi, Uncle Rex and Aunt 'Soka - and now he knows he has a daddy who loves him too. One who might be a bit scary, and hard to hug, but that was okay. At least he promised to help Luke when the time right comes along.

 **4\. Realm of Light** (Ch 4, 23, 25, 53,

-Palpatine attempted to make himself Emperor. Anakin opposed him, and the two died within minutes of each other. As Padme struggles to push past her grief, Obi-wan and the other Jedi attempt to adjust to the knowledge of the Chosen One's marriage - and his newborn twins.

 **5\. Quintet** (Ch 6, 15, 33, 51,

- _*Extraction Squad Alpha to Captain Rex.*_ "Rex here. Report?" _*We have the Senator, sir, but, uh- she's gone into labor.*_ "...Understood. Get her onto a transport as quickly as possible, but safely - no harm is to come to General Skywalker's wife or their child, understood?"

 **6\. Peas in a Pod** (Ch 7, 14, 34, 52,

-"We started off transmitting illegal broadcasts. Then General Skywalker sent Kanan to us, to protect Ezra. Now we're living on a rebel base, letting both our boys train with the Force, and helping out with missions against the Empire." Ephraim kissed his wife. "Mira, dear, how did our lives completely turn around in just four years?" "Haven't the foggiest, love."

 **7\. Family Bonds are Strongest** (Ch 10, 20, 22, 24, 31, 43, 45) Complete

-When Ahsoka walked away from the Jedi Order, so did Anakin.

 **8\. Three Generations** (Ch 11, 27, 29, 54,

-In a world where certain Attack of the Clones events never happened, Shmi Skywalker-Lars is delighted to meet her grandchildren. Less so about the bounty on their father's head, but still. Her family is once again complete.

 **9\. Dark Daughter** (Ch 12) Complete

-For twenty years, Anakin thought he only had his son, Luke, to raise and train and love. Then the Skywalkers discover that they were decieved - that Palpatine _was_ able to steal one of their number, and has poisoned her against anything Jedi in nature.

 **10\. Fellow Padawans** (Ch 17, 32, 35, 38, 50,

-Hera sighed, gesturing towards the weathered old man and a blonde teenager who looked to be Ezra's age. "Guys, these are Obi-wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker. And they need somewhere to hide for a while."

 **11\. New Family, New Hope** (Ch 16, 26, 44, 46,

-Mentally pressing for Leia's hidden secrets while aboard the Death Star, Vader finds not the location of the Rebel base, but something much more personal: "I recently learned the truth, that my real parents were Padme Amidala and Anakin Skywalker." "That's my father's name, too!"

 **12\. Unexpected Encounter** (Ch 19, 21, 30, 36, 41)

-"What is your name, youngling?" Maketh tried to make the question as soft and unthreatening as possible. "...Ezra." "And how old are you, Ezra? Six?" "'m seven."

 **13\. Little Ones** (Ch 28)

-Normally, Luke only brings Force-sensitive younglings back to his training grounds; but for little Rey and the two boys whom she's latched onto, he'll make an exception.

 **14\. From the Forge** (Ch 37, 40, 42, 49,

-Rebels spin-off to Family Bonds are Strongest, in which both Depa Billaba and her student Caleb Dume escape the Purge, courtesy of their microchip-free and still-loyal clone troopers...

 **15\. Reluctant Relations** (Ch 47, 55,

-In which Mira Bridger's maiden name was Fett.

 _Be sure to check back here in future to see what stories are coming up next!_

 _-Tri_


	2. 1:Realm of Darkness, Part 1

Chapter 1 - Realm of Darkness, Part 1

(Summary: He found them when they were four. He began taking them on assignments when they were eight. A decade later, Vader has trained his children to be perfect. The time has come for them to conquer an Empire.)

"First are the Imperial Guard, who are selected because they have some sensitivity to the Force, enough that it's easier for Palpatine to entice and control them, but not so much that they'll ever pose any sort of threat to him.

"Then come the Emperor's Hands - trained a little with the Force, but mostly with espionage tactics. They tend to be deployed as assassins and saboteurs with regards to political dissenters and known rebels, intimidating those who are aware of them without being seen by the masses.

"After that are the Inquisitors. They are the ones aspiring to become true Sith, wielding the Force and specialized lightsabers within a range of moderate skill levels. These are the agents sent in to deal with small time Force users pretending to be Jedi, or perhaps younglings who escaped the Purge and haven't hidden themselves as well as they should have. The Inquisitors, usually referred to as variously numbered Sisters and Brothers, have had their ranks rise and fall throughout the years, always led by one known as the Grand Inquisitor.

"And then, you come to the First Daughter and First Son. It's rumored that they're Vader's own children, twins that he's raised and trained to be more fearsome than any other servants of the Emperor - besides himself, of course. Neither is ever encountered without the other close by, and more often than not they accompany Vader on his assignments. When necessary, they are his Tie fighter back-ups, Black One and Black Two. At high level galas and parade reviews, they always stand just behind him and to either side. We know that both these agents are capable of taking on and defeating Jedi up to the rank of Council Member - and that they achieved this qualification several years ago, when they were little more than children."

Senator Mon Mothma leaned forward, hands folded before her on the table. "What we want from you, Captain, is to put together a crew of your choosing to capture the First Daughter and Son, and smuggle them to Dantooine where the Rebel Alliance will take them into our custody as bartering tools with Vader. Are you willing to try?"

Han Solo smiled grimly. "For the right price, I'll give anything a shot."


	3. 2:Push and Pull, Part 1

Chapter 2 - Push and Pull, Part 1

(Summary: Anakin Skywalker died with the rest of Coruscant's Police Force in the '66 takeover. Vader now serves as Mayor Palpatine's right hand man, in darkness and the light of day. He never expected the Skywalker children to seek him out, but that's exactly what they did.)

"Mister Vader?" The man looked up from his desk, glaring at the security guard who stood in his office doorway.

"What?" He snapped. "I specifically gave orders that I wasn't to be disturbed tonight-"

"I apologize, sir, but no one was willing to handle this without your approval first." The guard paused, gulping at the sight of the mobster's hand reaching for the button that automatically shut and locked his door. "There's a pair of teenagers here, asking to see you, sir. Boy by the name of Luke Skywalker, and his sister Leia."

Vader froze.

It had been too long since he'd heard the name Skywalker - too many years since he'd used it. There were only three people left alive who knew it had once been his at all, who could have directed a pair of teens in his direction.

"...How old are they?"

"Uh, eighteen or so, sir. Pretty sure the girl mentioned something about their being twins."

Vader nodded to himself. Eighteen years, seven months would be just about right. "Send them in."

During his wait, the man attempted to return to his paperwork, only to give up and instead began pacing the length of his office, mind thinking furiously. Twins! And showing up now, after so long... He'd never trusted himself to check on Padme after their fallout, limiting his sole interaction to a monthly transfer of half his income to her bank account. And, though tempting, Vader had never inquired as to whether their child had lived, or been given up for adoption, or anything else. To now be confronted with _twin_ children, nearly adults, coming to see _him..._ He wasn't sure whether to be elated or terrified.

Then the guard escorted them in, and Vader's mind went blank as he studied his offspring.

They were both slight, slender, clearly sharing their mother's height. Luke had his blonde hair and blue eyes, but Padme's expression of soft curiosity. Leia, on the other hand, had the same coloration and long hair of her mother, but an intense, almost hostile bearing that Vader instantly recognized as inherited from himself.

He opened his mouth to address them, closed it, swallowed, and tried again. "So. This is a surprise."

Leia snorted, ignoring her brother's disapproving glance. "Really - is that because you never bothered to visit, or didn't know about us in the first place?"

"Ley, we talked about this earlier..." Luke mumbled to his sister, before facing forward again. "Hello, Father."

Vader inclined his head. "Son." His gaze flickered back to Leia. "Daughter. As to answer your question, I did not in fact know if Padme had ever kept our child or not. After we fell apart, I did not permit myself to check."

"Didn't _permit_ yourself? Sounds like a cheap way of excusing that you didn't want anything to do with us or Mom-"

"I did not want you in danger." Vader growled, hands clenching. "When I- when Anakin Skywalker served with the Police Force, it was risky enough to let the truth of his marriage out into the open. After the massacre of '66, it would have been even more so to reveal the truth of my past, of my family. I would never expose Padme to the same threat, whether she was raising our child- our _children,_ or not."

Both the twins studied him in silence for a while, and Vader did not permit his legs to give way when the pair gave him an approving nod.


	4. 3:Never Hurt Him, Part 1

Chapter 3 - Never Hurt Him, Part 1

(Summary: Six year old Luke has lots of people who love him - his mommy, his Uncle Obi, Uncle Rex and Aunt 'Soka - and now he knows he has a daddy who loves him too. One who might be a bit scary, and hard to hug, but that was okay. At least he promised to help Luke when the time right comes along.)

"I want you to promise me something, Luke." The child titled his head, looking questioningly up at the Sith.

"What?"

"I want you to promise that when you need to be stronger to protect your mother, when you need more power to keep her safe, you'll come to me."

"...Thought it was s'posed to be the other way 'round."

"It is. But as both of you get older, you'll see that you have to help protect her just as much as she does with you." Vader knelt, reaching forward to grasp his son's hand. "There was a time when I thought my wife was going to die, and I made a choice to seize power in order to save her. I failed, and because of that I'm now trapped in this suit. I do not ever want you to fail, Luke."

"Why not?"

Pushing back his fear of rejection, Vader touched a glove to the boy's face. "Because your mother was my wife, Luke. Because I am you father."

Luke's eyes widened. "Oh."

"Padme doesn't want anything more to do with me, which is why I can't simply keep you both here, safe and protected. My Master would not permit it, either. But someday, as you grow strong with the Force, you'll see that there are certain powers you need in order to care for your mother. And that's when you must return to me - when I'll teach you, train you, and together we'll make sure nothing can ever hurt Padme again. So, can you promise that you'll come back?"

The boy smiled, and reached up to hug him, a move that shocked Vader. "I promise, Daddy."

-SW-

"Luke's still in an office on the upper level," Padme panted, leading Rex and Ahsoka back to the hangar door. "Vader was talking to him when they took me down to the cells, we've got to get him before-"

The door opened, and they all slid to a stunned halt.

"Mommy!" Luke dashed towards her, chattering happily at a million miles an hour, while Vader remained silent and unmoving. Rex's blasters charged up and Ahsoka's sabers ignited, but still the Sith lord did not move.

"I would never hurt him." The words were barely louder than the respirator, but they seemed to reverberate through Padme's skull. "You have three minutes before the alarms sound and this bay is flooded with personnel." With that, he turned on his heel and left, the door sliding shut behind him.

The three adults didn't move until Luke tugged on his mother's shirt hem and asked when they were leaving to go home.


	5. 4:Realm of Light, Part 1

Chapter 4 - Realm of Light, Part 1

(Summary: Palpatine attempted to make himself Emperor. Anakin opposed him, and the two died within minutes of each other. As Padme struggles to push past her grief, Obi-wan and the other Jedi attempt to adjust to the knowledge of Anakin's marriage - and his newborn twins.)

"I was as good as his older brother, in many ways." Obi-wan sighed sadly. "We started off irritating one another constantly, in the early days of figuring out our relationship. Then it transitioned into fondness, and from there to- to love. That's not something I would have readily admitted a few years ago, not even to myself. But after he died..."

The man bowed his head, blinking back tears.

"After your father died... I felt such a terrible loss, one that will never truly go away, I expect. And poor Padme is in an even worse way, I should imagine. As for you two... You'll feel Anakin's absence just as strongly as we will, undoubtedly. And for that, I am so, _so_ sorry. But I promise - for all that I failed your father, I promise, to _always_ watch over the both of you."

Cautiously, oh so cautiously, Obi-wan reached out with shaking hands to gently smooth down the ruffled locks on both the Skywalker twins' heads. Leia briefly leaned further into his touch, but otherwise remained asleep. Luke, though, stirred a bit further than that. The three year old's eyes flickered open.

"N'ca Obi?" He mumbled, a tiny fist coming up to rub at his face. "Wassa matta'?"

"Nothing, Luke. Go back to sleep now, everything's fine."

Obi-wan remained still until the boy had drifted off again, but found himself unable to leave the nursery. Instead, he stayed put all through the night, kneeling beside the twins' cots until dawn.


	6. 5:Realm of Darkness, Part 2

Chapter 5 - Realm of Darkness, Part 2

(He found them when they were four. He began taking them on assignments when they were eight. A decade later, Vader has trained his children to be perfect. The time has come for them to conquer an Empire.)

 _(Takes place approximately three years after Part 1)_

Sitting in her cell aboard the Death Star monstrosity, Pooja Naberrie knew someone would come to question her soon. The plans she'd been ferrying to the Alliance were back in the hands of the Imperials, but that wouldn't be the end of it. As a former Senate member, they had to think she was a key member of the Rebellion, which, Pooja would admit she was.

But they were crazy if they thought she'd reveal the secrets of her fellow rebels.

After hours of solitude, the door finally slid open, and a pair of stormtroopers entered the cell. They grabbed Pooja's arms hard enough to bruise, and practically dragged her out and down the hall. The room they left her in had three chairs and a table, with no obvious recording equipment, torture devices, not even any restraints.

Somehow, that made her more nervous, not less.

It was a further hour of waiting before more company arrived - a pair of humanoid figures, no larger than she was, completely encased in the garb of Inquisitors. Obviously, her interrogation was going to consist of mental stress and strain. A sudden burst of anger encouraged the Senator to go down with a final show of defiance.

"Torture me all you like, but I won't spill anything." Pooja snarled. The two black-armored figures turned their heads slightly to look at one another, and gave the impression of amusement.

"Now why would we want to torture you, cousin?" The female one asked. Pooja blinked.

"What did you call me?"

As one, the pair of interrogators reached up and pulled their helmets off, revealing them to be humans of no more than nineteen or twenty standard years old. The boy had blonde hair and blue eyes, while the girl was a brunette with brown. Both of them were smirking at her, and Pooja couldn't help but find each to be slightly similar to something in her memory.

"Who are you?" She demanded.

"We are called the First Son and First Daughter," the boy told her.

"But our names are Luke and Leia," the girl added, pulling out the two chairs opposite where Pooja was sitting.

"You won't recognize us, as we've never met," Luke went on, taking a seat.

"But you have met our parents - Anakin Skywalker, as he used to be known, and Padme Naberrie Amidala." Leia finished, her gaze never leaving Pooja's.

The Senator gaped, half her mind protesting the words, while the other half accepted them as the reason why the siblings appeared so familiar: Leia looked to be nearly the spitting image of her Aunt Padme, while Luke was highly reminiscent of the Jedi Knight who'd once protected her. "Why...?"

"Are we telling you this? Simple. We want a message delivered to your Rebel Alliance, and decided that family was the best option in this case." Luke's words took a minute to fully register in Pooja's mind.

"You- you- _what?!"_

"Oh come now, Senator, this can't be _that_ difficult for you to grasp." Leia rolled her eyes. "Hopefully our message makes more sense to you - tell Mothma, Organa, or whoever else is in charge your Alliance, that we're interested in getting rid of the Emperor."

This admission was enough to snap Pooja's mind out of the frantic scramble it was in, and return her to some semblance of coherency. "You are?"

Luke smiled at her. "Now she's thinking straight. Yes, the old coot's starting to get a bit moldy upstairs, if you know what I mean. He made a fantastic bid for power back in the day, but since then all he's done it wallow in it, allowing the government to grow stagnant and corrupt."

"It's one thing to gain control of an entire Galaxy, but he's done next to nothing to ensure that control will _last,_ " Leia emphasized. "We saw this Rebellion coming as eight year olds."

"So, our father's begun planning for removing the immediate power at Palpatine's disposal, and ordered us to lay the groundwork for making a deal with your Alliance - if and when we succeed in kicking the Emperor off his throne, and take control of the Empire ourselves, we want to make sure you people are willing to hold off shooting at us-"

"At least until there's been enough new action for you to make an intelligent decision over whether or not we're better for the galaxy that Palpatine was."

"What action are you planning to take?" Pooja asked with suspicion.

"Oh, you'll like this - first off, we're going to get the Senate up and running again." Leia grinned. "After new elections have been held in every system, of course. Want to make sure we aren't just letting the same old corrupt officials as before back into the decision making process."

"Then it's a matter of cleaning out all the Imperial bureaucrats and getting some intelligence and hard-working types back into the government offices and military." Luke added. "All of Palpatine's anti-alien laws and regulations have got to go, too. One of our trainers once told us that diversity breeds knowledge, and we have a Sith saying that follows along those lines:"

"Knowledge is power-"

"-and power is strength."

"So, will you deliver our message or not?"

Pooja continued to stare at them in shock.

"...I think we might have broken her, sis."

"...I think I have to agree."


	7. 6:Quintet, Part 1

Chapter 6 - Quintet, Part 1

(Summary: _*Extraction Squad Alpha to Captain Rex.*_ "Rex here. Report?" _*We have the Senator, sir, but, uh- she's gone into labor.*_ "...Understood. Get her onto a transport as quickly as possible, but safely - no harm is to come to General Skywalker's wife or their child, understood?")

"Rex!" Anakin roared, deflecting back the numerous blaster bolts coming towards him. "What's the extraction squad's status?"

"Here in two, General!" Crouched behind the collapsed pillar his leader stood upon, the clone captain fired stunners at the opposing forces. The opposing _clone_ forces.

On one side of the terrifying battle, Commander Fox directed his battalion to shoot to kill, under Order 66. On the other, General Skywalker led his loyal troopers of the 501st in a desperate defence. Behind them was the Jedi Temple, where a mere handful of elderly Masters were evacuating nearly two hundred younglings and infants. Transports were taking them up into Coruscant's orbit, where the _Defiance_ was waiting to take all the Force users to a safe location.

They just needed more time.

"Scouts incoming to the right!" Thanks to Anakin's warning, Fives and Ridge turned their weapons forty five degrees, removing the threat before it could reach their lines. The exterior of the Temple had been decimated by the battle, coming to resemble countless other battlegrounds they'd fought on.

The comparison only served to heighten the troopers' joint conviction to not follow the orders of Chancellor Palpatine, a man who'd proven he had ulterior motives for wanting the Jedi dead and made up the 'traitor' falsehood to do it. When it came down to choosing to follow that sleemo and his lies, or General Skywalker and his long friendship, it was no choice at all.

 _*Extraction Squad Alpha to Captain Rex.*_

"Captain Rex here. Report?"

 _*We have the Senator, sir, but, uh- she's gone into labor.*_

Rex paused. "...Understood. Get her onto a transport as quickly as possible, but safely - no harm is to come to General Skywalker's wife or their child, understood?"

 _*Understood, sir.*_

In the end, Rex merely informed the General that his wife had been retrieved, and a few minutes later, the follow-up report that she was aboard the _Defiance_ with the last of the Jedi refugees. Anakin nodded, before ordering his men back through the Temple's entrance. As soon as they were all clear, he collapsed the doors in an impressive display of the Force, blocking their pursuers.

"We'll have a few minutes before they can get through. I want every trooper on a transport and headed for the ship, now!"

As usual, the General waited until the final load before leaving himself, and also as usual, Rex was right there with him. He didn't leave Anakin's side as they headed through the _Defiance's_ corridors, bootsteps drowned out for a moment with the jump to hyperspace.

When Admiral Yularen told Anakin that Senator Amidala was in the med bay, only Rex's firm grip on his leader's shoulder kept the man from exploding into fury. And when the reason _why_ was mentioned, Rex also managed to keep Anakin from collapsing outright.

It was hours before the medical droid allowed them in, hours that Rex spent right beside the General.

And so, it was Rex who was the first besides the proud parents to hold little Luke and Leia Skywalker in his nervous arms.


	8. 7:Peas in a Pod, Part 1

Chapter 7 - Peas in a Pod, Part 1

(Summary: "We started off transmitting illegal broadcasts. Then General Skywalker sent Kanan to us, to protect Ezra. Now we're living on a rebel base, letting both our boys train with the Force, and helping out with missions against the Empire." Ephraim kissed his wife. "Mira, dear, how did our lives completely turn around in just four years?" "Haven't the foggiest, love.")

 _(Takes place a few years after Quintet Part 1)_

When Mira Bridger opened the door, she was taken completely by surprise. She'd been expecting the rebel agent with whom she and her husband had been contacted by a few weeks before - the same young woman now on her doorstep, with fair skin, dark hair and eyes.

The surprise lay with a belly growing into what had to be the fifth or sixth month of pregnancy.

As well as the tall, hooded man hovering protectively behind her.

Not to mention the small boy and girl standing between them.

"Mira! So good to see you again - I hope you haven't forgotten about our playdate." The rebel smiled, but there was a pleading look in her eyes.

"Oh- oh yes of course! I must have gotten the dates mixed up in my head." Mira laughed, and allowed the door to slid all the way open. "Won't you please come inside?"

Once away from any prying eyes, both the unknown adults lost some of their tension. "I apologize for surprising you," the woman apologized. "But a family arriving through the spaceport generally attracts less scrutiny than loners."

"It's perfectly fine, I promise. But these, they are your own children?"

"Yes. This is Luke, and Leia, my husband Ani, and I'm Padme."

"A pleasure to meet you in person, then." Mira crouched down to be eye level with the children. "Hello Luke, Leia. I'm Mira Bridger. May I ask how old you are?" The boy turned his face into his mother's leg, hiding, but Leia shyly held up three fingers. "Three years old, my goodness! You two are the same age as my Ezra."

"That's why we made the choice to come in person," the man, Ani, told her. "We knew you had a boy of your own, and decided to deepen our cover even further."

"Of course I understand, but- putting your little ones at risk like that?"

"We never let them out of our sight." Padme said quietly, one hand resting on Luke's head and the other on her belly.

"Well. Ephraim and Ezra are still out at the market right now, but they'll be back soon and we can begin. For now, is there anything I can get you? Food, drink? Please, sit down, sit."

"I wouldn't mind some cold juice, if you have any." Padme admitted, sinking gracefully down onto the sofa. "Ani?"

"I'm fine, thank you."

"And how about you, little ones? A snack, perhaps?" The children both nodded after a moment, and Mira busied herself in the kitchen for a bit.

When the male Bridgers returned, Ephraim had the same shock as his wife upon meeting their contact and her family. Ezra, on the other hand, was simply happy to have a couple of new playmates. He took Luke and Leia up to his bedroom, which left the adults free to get down to business.

Three hours later, ten new recordings had been made in their hidden basement: messages of standing up against the Empire, of remembering the good of the Republic and the freedom they all used to have as their right. 'Ani' revealed himself to be Jedi General Anakin Skywalker, a hero of the War and well-known even on Lothal, and spoke at length about the atrocities Palpatine had committed, including the attempted massacre at the old Temple on Coruscant. He urged the citizens to consider the implications of Palpatine exterminating the Jedi when they were _not_ traitors, of how his schemes benefited himself and few others.

By the time they were done and well prepared for the next few months of broadcasts, it was nearly time for dinner. The two married couples climbed back up to the house's main level, satisfied with a job well-done.

Only for them all to freeze in shock when the trio of three year olds dashed into the room, playing a game of catch - without using their hands.

"Your son is strong with the Force," Anakin said softly, after the younglings had been hushed and set to helping Mira in the kitchen. "Did you know?"

"No." Ephraim gulped. The implications this had for his family... "Master Jedi, I am aware of what the Order's protocol was when they found such a child, but-"

"The Order had a lot of rules I didn't agree with," Anakin interrupted him, placing a hand on his wife's shoulder. "I'm not about to do anything against your wishes, Ephraim. How do you want to handle Ezra's abilities?"

"Well... What do you suggest?"

"Leaving him without training could be dangerous, especially if any of the Emperor's agents find out and try to turn him to the Dark Side. But, I don't want to remove him from your care, or displace your family from your home."

"We'll figure something out," Padme assured them both. "We always do."

Half a year later, the rebels contacted the Bridger household again, with a plea and offer contained in one. Not long after, a youth who introduced himself as Kanan Jarrus arrived at their doorstep with a single knapsack of belongings, a disguised lightsaber, and a holocron of Jedi knowledge.

They set him up with a bed and chest of drawers in the attic, and though Ezra was wary at first, he soon came to adore his new babysitter and teacher. Dangerous as it was to harbor a Jedi in their home, the Bridgers thought the additional safety net for their son was worth it. The year went by with Kanan working at a small shop near the residential district, contributing his income to the household, providing assistance to the occasional rebel missions that took place on Lothal, and laying the groundwork for Ezra learning to shield his mind and emotions.

Feeling safer than they would have otherwise, Mira and Ephraim decided to expand their family again, and ten months later welcomed Phirim Bridger into the world.


	9. 8:Push and Pull, Part 2

Chapter 8 - Push and Pull, Part 2

(Anakin Skywalker died with the rest of Coruscant's Police Force in the '66 takeover. Vader now serves as Mayor Palpatine's right hand man, in darkness and the light of day. He never expected the Skywalker children to seek him out, but that's exactly what they did.)

 _(Takes place the day after Part 1)_

"You two weren't raised together?" Vader asked curiously, setting down his fork. He and the twins were having lunch together, in the safety of his mansion outside the city. Few knew of the place, and fewer still had ever visited it. It probably should have surprised Vader, how easily he invited his children here, but instead he just felt a sense of rightness from their presence.

"Not originally," Luke spoke up, when it looked as though his sister weren't going to. "Mom gave me to Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, and until I was four I lived on a ranch down south. Then they, ah, they were killed when the big earthquake tore our house down."

"I'm sorry, Luke."

"To be honest, I don't really remember them. Obi-wan came and got me, brought me back to Mom here in the city. I met Leia when we entered kindergarten - didn't know we were siblings until the truth came out in third grade."

"I had been left with Bail and Breha Organa," Leia suddenly announced, and Vader winced. He remembered married politicians from the time when he'd still been Anakin Skywalker, hot-shot police officer.

He also remembered seeing the couple's names on a list of bystander casualties from a shoot-out between his men and a rival organization, several years before.

"For all intents and purposes, they were my parents, even after learning the truth. I'd spend some weekends and chunks of the holidays with Mom and Luke, but didn't move in completely until the Organa's died." The reason for Leia's extra hostility towards him as compared to her brother made sudden sense, and Vader again extended his sympathies.

"It's one of the reasons I originally took this job," he said sadly. "To try and control crime, limit the unnecessary deaths it caused. Unfortunately, I've never been one hundred percent successful."

Luke looked at him oddly. "Obi-wan's always said you were power-hungry." Vader had to snort at that statement.

"It's the excuse he likes to use - the only way he can perceive my betrayal without going insane himself." Admittedly, he had been power-hungry back then, but not in the way his old partner on the force believed. Like many roads to Hell, his was paved with good intentions. The helmet he'd worn during the attack on police headquarters eighteen years ago had not been to mask his identity, but rather to blur the faces and dim the screams of those Vader was killing. He'd still had nightmares of the event for a long while afterward, but they weren't as severe as he liked to think they would have been.

Those men and women had been servants to a corrupt code of conduct, unable to truly clear the filth from Coruscant city. And none of them would have allowed Vader and Palpatine's sweeping reforms, seeing only a miscarriage of justice taking place. They were wrong, but convinced of their rightness, and so had to go.

Vader didn't bother to try and explain this to his children - not yet. Not if he wanted to keep them from walking out of his life as swiftly as they'd walked into it. Someday, he would tell them the entire truth, but first had to be sure he'd earned enough of their trust and love that the twins wouldn't simply leave him out of disgust.

It might be a long time coming, but Vader would get there, eventually.


	10. 9:Realm of Darkness, Part 3

Chapter 9 - Realm of Darkness, Part 3

(He found them when they were four. He began taking them on assignments when they were eight. A decade later, Vader has trained his children to be perfect. The time has come for them to conquer an Empire.)

 _(Takes place eight years prior to Part 1, eleven before Part 2)_

When Lord Vader arrived on the _Executor_ with his new assistants, Admiral Ozzel was expecting a couple of young officers, perhaps administrators or fighter pilots, maybe even a couple of those Inquisitors that the Emperor had begun sending out.

But not _younglings._

The small boy and girl marching along behind Vader couldn't have been more than seven or eight, nine at a stretch. They were so tiny compared to the massive, armored man that at an initial glance, Ozzel first thought they were even younger.

"Admiral," Vader rumbled, snapping him back to attention. "Have the quarters beside mine been cleared and re-fitted as I ordered?"

"Yes, Lord Vader." Suddenly, the command for a pair of bunks placed in the spacious room made more sense. "These would be your new assistants, I take it?"

Whatever part of Ozzel that hoped for an alternate answer was soon contradicted. "Indeed. First Daughter and First Son; they are my students and helpers. They will be treated with the same respect as any Grand Moff, interacted with only minimally, and in _no way_ will anyone attempt to _bully_ them." Vader seemed to give the impression of grinning, and it wasn't pleasant. "Because if that does occur, Admiral, _I_ will not be the one giving out the punishment."

As one, the children looked up and smirked, and there wasn't a man on parade in that hangar bay who wasn't chilled by the sight.

"And what, erm, that is, how will they be assisting you, my Lord?"

"Carrying out inspections while I am busy. Reviewing files, records, and other data. Operating the extra canons in my Tie fighter should we engage with any rebel forces." And there was the answer to a second recent mystery: why Lord Vader had removed his previous personal fighter and replaced it with a slightly larger, more weaponized one. "These two will be around for many years to come, Admiral. In time, they will speak with my voice, replace my Black One and Black Two pilots, even carry out missions of their own when I must remain on Imperial Center." Ozzel nodded, recognizing the warning for what it was.

Someday, these younglings were going to grow up to be Vader's most important underlings, and it would be wise to treat them as such from the start.

There were, of course, a few crewmembers who didn't get the message in time from the ship's rumor mill. That evening, during one of the three shifts where troopers and other personnel had to eat their dinner in the mess hall, one idiot lieutenant cracked a joke about needing to check their supply of diapers, right as Vader's pair of students walked past with their own special meal packs.

The younglings stopped directly behind him.

Silence spread through the room as everyone paused, watching with either trepidation or open curiosity. The officer who'd made the joke was forced to turn around in his seat in order to look at the pair of steely gazes.

"What's the matter, pipsqueaks?" He teased, but with fading bravado. "Space mouse got your- ack!" The girl had pointed at him, sending the lieutenant backwards onto the table, and his tray. Then the boy raised his own hand, and every tray of food down the length of the table lifted into the air.

A moment later, they all bombarded the hapless man, who was unable to move or struggle. As soon as he was suitably buried in metal sheets and rehydrated mush, the children smiled.

"He doesn't look too comfortable, does he, brother?" The little girl asked, her voice cheerful.

"No he doesn't, sister." The other one replied, mischief coloring his tone as well. "Perhaps he ought to check the supply of napkins as well as diapers."

With that, they strode off, leaving behind the groaning man and a room full of stunned personnel. Word spread very quickly after that, warning everyone aboard to _for kriff's sake, leave the younglings ALONE._


	11. 10:Family Bonds are Strongest, Part 1

Chapter 10 - Family Bonds are Strongest, Part 1

(Summary: When Ahsoka walked away from the Jedi Order, so did Anakin.)

He'd spent years learning their lessons, struggling to adjust and yet expected to be the best.

He'd not been allowed to contact his mother, hadn't seen her again until moments before her death.

His love was not permitted, and so when he married, he had to do so secretly, unable to share the joy of it with friends and those he felt were family.

Nearly five years he'd spent in war, leading men to death or victory, sometimes both. Years of admiration from the public, but little to no recognition within the Order itself.

And then, one of the most important people in his life was targeted by a vicious plot, betrayed by those who should have supported her. Was it any wonder that she was unable to bring herself to trust them again?

When his Padawan walked away from the front gate, Anakin was two steps behind her.

-SW-

A storm was growing in Coruscant's skies. Padme had managed to ignore it all evening, up until the point something rattled against her balcony door. The woman rose from her chair and turned to check to make sure it wasn't some piece of debris that ought to be moved.

She gasped upon seeing the tall, dark figure outlined in the doorway.

There was a moment of fear, but then the mystery visitor closed the door against the rain and pulled down his hood. "Anakin..."

"Padme." Husband and wife grabbed each other in a tight embrace, the tension of the past few days ebbing away.

"Obi-wan talked to me. He said- he said you'd left the order." Padme whispered the words, unsure of whether she hoped they were true ot not.

"I have."

" _Why,_ Ani?"

"It was the last straw, Padme. All that I've given up for them over the years, including a normal marriage with you... I thought Ahsoka would come back and everything would be fine again. But she didn't. She couldn't. And I realized... I couldn't either."

"Where is Ahsoka now?"

"On the speeder just below your balcony."

"Oh-! Get her in here, out of this weather!" A couple minutes later, both former Jedi had been welcomed inside, wrapped in dry towels and given cups of steaming tea.

"Thank you for this, Padme," Ahsoka murmured after sipping at her drink. "I wasn't sure of where to go or what to do at first, but after getting us a speeder Anakin insisted on coming here."

"You're both welcome to stay as long as you need to." The Senator smiled at her young friend, before sending a meaningful look at Anakin.

Ahsoka smirked slightly, glancing up at the two of them. "I think I'd rather give you two your privacy, in all honesty." Both humans' faces turned red at that statement.

"Did you tell her?"

"She'd already guessed some of it, the brat," Anakin mock glared at his apprentice, who shot him a cheeky grin in return. "But I filled her in on a few of the other details on the way here. And while you know I want to stay, Padme, I don't think it would be a good idea for either of us to be seen around Coruscant for a while. Plus, leaving the Order doesn't necessarily mean leaving the war."

Padme frowned, considering the implications. "...How would you go about contributing your help?"

"We might not be General and Commander of the five oh first anymore, but I'd bet my lightsaber that Rex and the others would still be glad to have us show up at their battles to provide back-up."

"We should also think about independant work," Ahsoka added. "Protecting supply cruisers or caravans heading for refugee camps on the more war-torn planets, that sort of thing."

"If you two are open to it, I could use your help in peace negotiations in certain circumstances. You might not be official Jedi anymore, but you're still heroes of the Republic." Both Ahsoka and Anakin blanched at that, but they didn't argue it. After a few more minutes of discussing, Padme announced that it was high time they all turned in for the night.

The struggles of their new lives would wait until morning.


	12. 11:Three Generations, Part 1

Chapter 11 - Three Generations, Part 1

(Summary: In a world where certain Attack of the Clones events never happened, Shmi Skywalker-Lars is delighted to meet her grandchildren. Less so about the bounty on their father's head, but still. Her family is once again complete.)

Humming under her breath, Shmi slowly stirred the bowl of f'krish dough, one eye kept on the holo-net projector out in the main room through the kitchen doorway. Owen had confided in her that tonight would be when he finally proposed to Beru, and she wanted to make sure they had the proper food to go along with their imminent celebration.

Suddenly, the news on the 'net came on, and Shmi eagerly stepped closer to the doorway. While reports of her Ani's death-defying stunts and victories in battle often had her on edge, it was still thrilling to see all that he was accomplishing as a Jedi. Cliegg and Owen were not quite as invested in hearing the news items as she was, but they still took an interest, still grinned all day after Anakin saved another world.

" _Breaking news, citizens!"_ The speaker was announcing. " _In the interests of protecting life and protecting peace in the galaxy, Chancellor Palpatine has put forth a motion to transform our splintered Republic into an Empire, and has been chosen to serve his people as Emperor."_

Shmi frowned.

" _This comes just as we are all shaken by the news of the betrayal of the Jedi Order - all across the Core and Rim worlds, the traitors are being arrested, or else removed when they resist. Notable among them are the supposed heroes Obi-wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, whose deaths Emperor Palpatine laments as tragic but necessary for his citizens' continued safety."_

The bowl dropped from Shmi's lifeless hands.

-SW-

All through the next night and day, Shmi was inconsolable. She went about her usual tasks on the farm, but was listless, depressed. Cliegg, Owen, even Beru all tried to distract her, to cheer her up, with no success.

"Come on, love," her husband pressed on the third evening. "You made us this lovely meal, please eat some of it yourself."

Wordlessly, Shmi shook her head and continued to stare at the powered down projector. She didn't notice when Cliegg gave up, or when the buzzer rang at the front door. The commotion at the front steps went right over her head. Not until an unfamiliar form came to stand in her line of sight did the woman look up. And gasp.

A ghost smiled down at her. "Hi, Mom."

"ANI-!" Instantly, Shmi was up and hugging him for all she was worth, mindless babble escaping alongside her tears. Anakin took it all, even shedding a few tears himself as he pressed his face to the top of his mother's head.

Eventually, Shmi pulled back just enough to look up at him, and attempted to get a coherent question out. "How-?"

"I had advance warning, and got out before Palpatine's guards came to shoot me," Anakin murmured soothingly. "This was the first place we thought of that might be safe, at least for a little while."

Shmi blinked. "We?" A cough drew her attention to the front steps, where a familiar young woman was standing with Cliegg and Owen.

"Mom, you remember Padme, right?"

"Of course I do!" She smiled, easily recalling the girl Qui-Gon had kept beside him at all times, many years ago.

"Well... She's also been my wife for the last few years." Blinking, Shmi looked back at her son and arched an eyebrow.

"Wife."

"Yes." Anakin's expression was sheepish, but his eyes were twinkling. "Would you like to meet your grandchildren?"

She gasped as Padme pulled around a cloth bag from her back, folding back the cover and revealing a pair of sleeping infants. Shmi hesitantly went to them, drinking in the sight of the two little ones. "Oh my word... Not more than a week old, are they?"

"No," Padme smiled. "I went into labor as we were fleeing Coruscant. Luke and Leia were born on a third class freighter while we were in hyperspace on the way here. Do you want to hold them?"

"I would love nothing more."


	13. 12:Dark Daughter, (Standalone)

Chapter 12 - Dark Daughter, Part 1

(Summary: For twenty years, Anakin thought he only had his son, Luke, to raise and train and love. Then the Skywalkers discover that they were deceived - that Palpatine _was_ able to steal one of their number, and has poisoned her against anything Jedi in nature.)

Someone was in her room.

As soon as the Force told her this, Leia snapped from sleep to fully awake, summoning her lightsaber and rising to a crouch in one smooth movement. The ruby red blade snapped on, illuminating the grungy hotel room in its harsh glow - and the man standing calmly just inside the door.

"I'm not here to fight." Anakin Skywalker said mildly, arms still crossed over his chest.

"Somehow, I doubt that." Leia's stance didn't waver as she stared the Jedi down. He snorted, and extended a Force tendril to activate the light switch. "I wasn't expecting to be found so soon."

"You covered your tracks well, I'll admit. But I didn't find you through conventional methods." His words were mirrored by a pulse in the Force, the strengthening of a connection Leia didn't understand and wasn't sure she wanted. Lips twisted into a snarl, she raised her lightsaber a fraction higher.

"What do you want?" She demanded.

"To talk. After our last encounter, Luke told me that he'd gotten a glimpse of your face - and that you greatly resembled the holo-pics he's seen of his mother, my late wife."

"So?"

"So," Anakin's gaze softened. "I wanted to meet my daughter properly, without being forced to do battle with her."

The woman's head snapped back as she stared at him, wide-eyed. "You- you're lying. You just want to trick me-"

"No, Leia." His use of her true name was another blow, one that caused her to stumble back a few steps.

"It's _not true."_ She tried to sound confident, certain of his lies, but couldn't quite manage it. "My family is dead. They've _always_ been dead. My Master saved me, he told me-"

"He's the one who lied to you, Leia. He's the one who killed your mother when you were a child, who stole you back to his palace before I could find you. He would have gotten your brother too, except that Luke was with Obi-wan at the time."

Leia shut her eyes, trying to ignore the sudden explanation for why she'd always felt drawn to the young Jedi, why even when the mission didn't call for it she wanted to talk to him. It wasn't an infatuation; it wasn't the desire of a cat to play with her prey.

It was because he was her brother.

The memory then returned of her final, devastating attack on him in the Imperial Palace three days before - of slicing off the young man's hand before his lightsaber could remove her Master's head.

"It wasn't your fault," Anakin suddenly murmured, still standing by the door. "Luke timed his strike wrong, and he knows it. He doesn't blame you either."

Anger boiled back into Leia; at herself, at this man and his attempt of comfort, at the idiot who couldn't have moved just a split second faster and had his _blade_ intercepted by her own, not his forearm.

"Leave me alone."

"Now that I can't do."

"Why? Because I might try to exact my revenge on your Alliance? Because there's the chance I'll rally those still loyal to the Emperor and attempt to avenge his death?"

"Because I might never find you again." His answer was so simple, so blunt, Leia couldn't help but believe it.

"And why should that matter."

"Family always matters, Leia. I've known that since it was just me and my mom on Tatooine. Since I found an older brother and little sister in the Order. Since I married Padme. Since the first time I held your brother, and thought he was all I had left in the galaxy." Anakin finally stepped forwards then, extending a hand towards her. "Please, Leia. Come with me. Let Luke and I show you what it means to have family."

Hesitation only lasted a few moments. Then her slim fingers reached out, and grasped his own.


	14. 13:Realm of Darkness, Part 4

Chapter 13 - Realm of Darkness, Part 4

(Summary: He found them when they were four. He began taking them on assignments when they were eight. A decade later, Vader has trained his children to be perfect. The time has come for them to conquer an Empire.)

 _(Starts within the year before Part 3)_

When Ahsoka was captured, she expected to be executed within days. Instead, she spent what had to be two weeks in the prison cell, surrounded by darkness, delivered a ration bar and cup of water at breakfast and dinner. The wait would've been nerve-wracking had she not meditated, and even then the Force held little comfort for her.

Finally, the day came when her cell was opened, the electronic restraints on her wrists and ankles deactivated. Sensing a strange resonance within the Force, Ahsoka cautiously stepped out into a large, bare hall.

At the opposite end, a trio of people were waiting for her.

One was Darth Vader.

The other two were a pair of younglings, dressed in black and watching her intently.

It took a moment for the Togruta woman to realize that her pair of lightsabers were sitting innocently on the ground just a few feet in front of her. Surprise caused her eyes to widen, and that was when Vader gave his order.

"Kill the Jedi."

Instantly, the younglings sprung into action, each activating a child-sized red lightsaber. Instinct took over Ahsoka's body, and before she knew it her own sabers had been called to hand, brilliant white blades snapping out just in time to block her dual attackers. It wasn't often Ahsoka got to be the larger person in a duel, but she adapted as well as possible. The children were clearly communicating with one another through the Force, their strikes coming in sync from all different angles.

Even so, they were young, and not nearly as well-trained or experienced as she. Close to the five minute marker, Ahsoka was able to disarm the girl and send her flying, before pivoting to drive her saber past the boy's guard to his chest-

She awoke in darkness.

Three days later, the Togruta came out of meditation to find her cell door opening, restraints deactivating and falling to the ground. With the same caution as before, she moved into the hall, and was confronted with a scene identical to the first one. Her lightsabers were sitting just a few feet away, the younglings were eyeing her with hatred, and Vader ordered them to attack.

This time, the girl went low, while the boy went high. The altered strategy threw Ahsoka off at first, and just when she'd begun to gain the advantage again they switched. For a further ten minutes, this pattern continued, until Ahsoka dodged a strike instead of blocking it, and was able to send the boy face first into a wall, knocking him senseless. The girl snarled at her, launching into a wild, uncoordinated attack which the Jedi was able to easily evade. Just as she was about to deliver a crippling blow, however, the same Force blast struck her as before.

And Ahsoka once again woke up in her pitch black cell.

A new normal developed - every third morning, the Togruta woman was released and set upon by the younglings and their crimson sabers. And each time she was about to strike one of them down and claim victory, Vader intervened, knocking her out and sending Ahsoka back to the darkness.

It was only after the sixth such session that she realized what was going on.

The seventh time her door opened, Ahsoka remained seated, not even bothering to open her eyes. Several minutes went by in which she could feel Vader's growing impatience, until the silence was finally broken by heavy footsteps.

The Sith arrived in her doorway, and still Ahsoka stayed put.

"Tano."

"Vader."

"Come out this instant."

"Why? So you can keep using me to train your pets?" She deigned to lift one eyelid and give him a deadpan look. "I don't think so. Not without a good reason."

"This training is the only reason you are still alive."

A suspicion occurred to her then. "Sidious doesn't know you have me, does he?" Vader's silence was very telling.

"Father?" The girl's voice came from the other side of the massive black cloak, and Ahsoka felt her blood freeze in her veins. "Who will we fight if the Jedi doesn't cooperate?"

"She'll cooperate," Vader rumbled, staring the Jedi down. "She will train you to survive, because there is no alternative. Is there, _Snips?"_

And in the end, there wasn't.

Anakin was gone, replaced with a Sith monster. Padme was dead, unable to protect her children. But there was still something of each of them that lived on in the younglings, and as soon as she was aware of that fact, Ahsoka couldn't stand the thought of one of her fellow Jedi survivors cutting the little ones down.

Yes, they were more than likely going to grow up to become monsters as well, following in their father's footsteps. Yes, the movements and instincts they learned from dueling her would be used to battle and execute others. Ahsoka took responsibility for those horrible truths.

But she also took responsibility for giving the younglings other instruction, as well. Their fights became interspersed with quips and sarcastic tips, passing on combat advice just as easily as parrying their saber strikes. Mentions were made of their mother, their old father, Obi-wan and Rex and other good people. Stories were told in serial, with the children dragging out their fights in order to hear more before the inevitable three-day cliffhanger.

Vader heard all of this, and never once bothered to stop her.

Then there came a month-long wait after one session, during which time Ahsoka wondered if she'd overstepped the Sith's tolerance, made one too many casual remarks about the old days.

But the trio returned soon enough, and picked up right where they'd left off.

This lasted six years.

In that time, Ahsoka's duels with the twins went from lasting minutes in the single digits, to double digits, to multiple hours. She watched as they grew from small children to early teenagers, their muscles and prowess with Force getting stronger all the time. There were plenty of long trips, after which she was given tid-bits of their adventures terrorizing the crew of Vader's ship or members of Palpatine's puppet Senate. None of it should have seemed funny to her, but Ahsoka couldn't help but be amused by some of the twins' antics.

And then, the day arrived when she lost the duel.

Leia had lept up and over the woman, spinning through a somersault and catching the tip of Ahsoka's left montrail with her toe. Nothing more than an unpleasant tap, but it was just enough to throw off her following strike to Luke's saber, giving the boy a tiny gap in which to slide around the blow and catch Ahsoka in the leg. She twisted to the side, trying to make up for the lapse and the injury, only for Leia to come back in and disarm her a moment later.

Then they both froze and stared at her.

Ahsoka smiled back.

"The students have surpassed the teacher," was all she said. At the other end of the hall, Vader stiffened almost imperceptibly. His unease flickered through the Force, but it was nothing compared to the trepidation the twins were giving off.

She was their prisoner. A Jedi, who by rights should have been executed years before.

She was their teacher, a mentor, a storyteller who once upon a time would have been part of their family.

She was no longer useful.

She was irreplaceable.

The next day, Vader had his children present the Emperor with Tano's pair of lightsabers. Her records gained the label of Deceased - another Jedi traitor removed from the universe, the first to be taken down by the First Daughter and First Son.

Emperor Palpatine favored the twins with a smile and some small praise. The Inquisitor and his underlings nodded approvingly from the shadows. Vader gave no reaction, but everyone assumed he'd be rewarding the younglings on his own terms.

And not one of them ever learned of the truth.


	15. 14:Peas in a Pod, Part 2

Chapter 14 - Peas in a Pod, Part 2

(Summary: "We started off transmitting illegal broadcasts. Then General Skywalker sent Kanan to us, to protect Ezra. Now we're living on a rebel base, letting both our boys train with the Force, and helping out with missions against the Empire." Ephraim kissed his wife. "Mira, dear, how did our lives completely turn around in just four years?" "Haven't the foggiest, love.")

 _(Takes place a year after the end of Part 1)_

"Well done, Ezra." The six year old opened his eyes, and beamed at the half dozen toys currently floating in the air between him and Kanan. Phirim squealed from his crib on the other side of the room, reaching through the bars to try and reach the nearest stuffed Loth-cat. Ezra concentrated a little harder on that particular toy, and while the others suffered a little with their elevation, he was able to send it straight to his baby brother's outstretched hands.

Kanan smiled, and had the boy go through a few more exercises before ending the day's lesson. Then he gathered up Phirim, and took both younglings downstairs to wait for their parents' return.

It should have been the usual, quiet wait, but just as he set foot on the ground floor something in the Force tingled, setting Kanan on edge. He tried to capture the feeling and analyze, without much luck. Ezra seemed to pick up on his mentor's unease, dutifully taking over playing with Phirim so that the grown Jedi could concentrate more intensely. But, it was for nought. The most that Kanan could interpret was that something big was going to happen, and happened soon.

When Ephraim and Mira arrived home half an hour later, he mentioned this to them, causing both parents to glance at each other with concern.

"Are we about to be discovered?" Mira asked tentatively.

"I'm not sure. But, it might be prudent to have some essentials packed and ready to go, just in case."

As it turned out, Kanan's advice was spot on. A friend of the Bridgers, a Rhodian by the name of Tseebo who worked as an Imperial technician, sent them a short message that evening warning the family to evacuate their home before daybreak. Ephraim gathered a selection of food and small, irreplaceable family treasures into a knapsack, while Mira packed up changes of clothing and toys, as well as the necessities for little Phirim, into a pair of small suitcases. Kanan retrieved his own belongings, then prepared the boys ready for departure, getting both dressed appropriately for the cool Lothal air.

The Jedi also made a quick call to an old friend of his, one who made her base of operations on the same planet, just in case an evacuation such as this was ever called for. Hera Syndulla brought her ship to a point just outside the city limits, and even had a couple guest rooms prepared for Kanan and the Bridgers when they arrived.

She considerately held off on asking the obvious question until they safely into hyperspace, heading for a hidden Rebel base not too far away. "What happened?"

"We aren't sure," Kanan sighed. "A friend warned us to flee, that was it. Presumably someone finally got a voice print match on Ephraim and Mira and tracked them down, put orders into the system for their arrest. If we were going to be attacked because of my Jedi status, I doubt there would have been a wait until dawn." Hera nodded, leaving it at that, before she ordered him to go get some shut eye. Despite nearly tripping over the twi'lek's temperamental astromech along the way, Kanan made it to his room in one piece, and promptly dropped into sleep.

It was quite unfortunate that he wasn't so exhausted as to be skipped over by the nightmare.

" _Momma! Daddy!" Ezra was screaming, struggling, trying to get free from the large arms that were holding him tight. Not far away, Phirim was also wailing, firmly caught by a much smaller but just as strong figure. Beyond them was a structure full of flames, explosions wracking it, equipment shattering into pieces within. Neither of the boys wanted to accept being pulled away, but they couldn't escape, either, not even when a fearsome shape rose up beside their captors._

Kanan jerked awake, heart hammering. The dream was less terrifying than it was disturbing, but it was still enough to set him on edge. Reaching out with the Force, the Jedi breathed a sigh of relief as he detected all four Bridgers safely asleep in the next room over. Convincing himself that the whole thing was simply a depiction of what could have happened had the family not escaped their home and impending arrest when they did, Kanan eventually managed to drop back off to sleep.


	16. 15:Quintet, Part 2

Chapter 15 - Quintet, Part 2

(Summary: _*Extraction Squad Alpha to Captain Rex.*_ "Rex here. Report?" _*We have the Senator, sir, but, uh- she's gone into labor.*_ "...Understood. Get her onto a transport as quickly as possible, but safely - no harm is to come to General Skywalker's wife or their child, understood?")

 _(Takes place a few days after Peas in a Pod Part 2)_

Rex watched intently over the twins' shoulders, nodding with approval as they went through the correct steps to safely reassemble his DC-17s. The trooper had been steadily working his way through the full spectrum of blaster weaponry, passing on the knowledge for cleaning, modifying, disassembling and putting back together (as well as actually learning to aim and shoot, of course). His goal was to have Luke and Leia fully proficient by the time their father was willing to let the pair build their own lightsabers.

Suddenly, both six year olds looked up and over at the weapons' hall door. Recognizing the matching expressions of exasperation, Rex waited patiently for the inevitable arrival. Soon enough, the door slid open to reveal a smirking blonde child.

"Jinni..." Luke groaned as his little sister marched over. "You're supposed to be napping."

"Don' wanna." That said, the girl plopped herself down beside the twins and peered intently at the specialized blasters. Rex scooped her up the instant she started to reach for one.

"Ah ah ah, you're not cleared for that level of ordinance just yet, baby-Sky." Jinni twisted around to pout at him, her big brown eyes watering. "And that trick's not gonna work either."

"Worked when we did it." Leia commented, returning to her reassembling task.

"Yeah, which is why I'm immune now. Jinni's only got half the power you younglings could muster up to use against me." The twins giggled as their sister's pleading pout turned into a petulant scowl.

A little while later, the door opened again to let a harried Anakin through. "Rex, have you seen- oh. I should have known."

"Daddy!" Jinni whined as the man bent down to retrieve his wayward youngest.

"Don't even start with me, young lady, I'm running on my last threads of patience as it is." He started to turn away to leave, but paused when something caught his eyes. "Huh. Trusting these two to work with your precious deecees, Rex?"

"More so than I would with you, sir." The twins giggled at their father's melodramatic expression.

"That hurts, Rex, that really does. I mean, I'm the fellow adult here!"

"Uh-huh. One who hasn't had all that much to do with weapons other than his lightsaber over the years, if memory serves me right. Whereas with the little ones here, I'm training them young to know how to handle any and every model of blaster they come across."

Anakin narrowed his eyes at the trooper. "...You just want to spend more time with them than I get to."

"And there's that, as well." Rex gave his longtime leader and friend a pitying look. "Let's face it, General, you're kept pretty busy with the Alliance nowadays."

The other man sighed in agreement, shifting his grip as a wriggly three year old attempted to clamber up to his shoulder. "I know. Believe me, I know." He eyed the twins, who'd remained silent. "You two mind that Rex takes my place with you so much?"

Luke shook his head, while Leia smiled. "It's okay, Daddy. We like Uncle Rex's lessons just as much as yours!"

"Okay, that's good. Maybe we can all do some training together next week-" Anakin cut himself off with a frown, eyes going distant as he sensed something in the Force.

"Sir?"

"Daddy?"

"That's... Not a good sign," he murmured, before blinking and focusing on Rex again. "Kanan Jarrus just arrived."

"Jarrus? That young Jedi you sent to Lothal? What's he doing here?"

"That's a very good question. Come on, let's go find out." Anakin set off with Jinni in his arms, Luke and Leia right behind him. Rex took a moment to finish the final assembly steps for his blasters, holstering them as he hurried out the door. He caught up to the Skywalkers further down the hall, at the same time that Padme met them from the opposite direction.

"Ani, the _Ghost_ has just arrived-"

"And Jarrus is here, I know."

"The Bridgers are with him."

That gave Anakin pause. "Huh. I didn't even sense the boys. Are they all okay?"

"I don't know, I haven't spoken with them yet."

Rex stayed three steps back as he followed the family of five out of the base, onto the wide open landing field where a Corellian freighter had set down just moments before. Watching as Luke and Leia hugged their friend Ezra, and Jinni got to meet the younger Phirim, Rex couldn't help but grin a little bit. There was something in him that always felt cheered by watching the Skywalker children having fun themselves.

Then his eyes turned to where Anakin was speaking in low, urgent tones to Jarrus, and that good cheer died away. He drifted over to catch the latter part of the conversation.

"...hoping it was an all clear, rather than a premonition."

"Just the same," Anakin said slowly. "We'll be careful to keep them all under close watch for a while. Can't afford to take chances with dreams like that. Oh, Kanan, this is my right hand man and go-to babysitter, Captain Rex. I'm sure you'll find him to be a great help while you all settle in."

Both Jedi and clone inclined their heads towards one another, mindful of the weapons at the other's waist. Rex was never willing to trust new Jedi right off the bat, and it seemed as though this young man wasn't going to trust a trooper right from the start either. Though, in the captain's opinion, he saw that as a healthy way to live.

"Anytime you need help rounding up your little ones, Jarrus, just let me know," Rex offered, glancing over to where the younglings were already engaging in a game together. "Looking after General Skywalker's brood, I've learned where just about every hidey-hole is in this base."

"Oh, I'm sure Ezra and Phirim will help scope out some new ones soon enough," the young man returned with a smirk. "Very ingenious, those boys."

"Heh. We'll see how their ingenuity stands up to my trio."

"We'll see indeed."

Anakin just grinned as he saw the pair connecting already.


	17. 16:New Family, New Hope, Part 1

Chapter 16 - New Family, New Hope, Part 1

(Summary: Mentally pressing for Leia's hidden secrets while aboard the Death Star, Vader finds not the location of the Rebel base, but something much more personal: " _I recently learned the truth, that my real parents were Padme Amidala and Anakin Skywalker." "That's my father's name, too!")_

" _I'll only be gone for two weeks, at the most." Leia smiled disarmingly at her parents, secretly praying that they would accept her cover story._

" _Well, I certainly don't see a problem with it. Bail?"_

" _I suppose..." The Senator gazed intently at his fourteen year old daughter. "I know you're eager for some privacy, Leia, but promise me you'll keep Captain Ahln close at all times."_

" _I will, Father."_

That afternoon, the princess departed from the Organa family estate with her personal bodyguard and astromech in tow. Rather than heading up into the mountains for a camping trip with some friends, however, she doubled back towards the capital city's spaceport.

"Erm, your highness," Ahln said nervously when the change in route was made. "May I ask what you think you're doing?"

"Not now, Ahln, we only have an hour to make it before the ship departs." Leia stated with a steely tone, her grip tight on the speeder's steering wheel.

"Depart for where?"

"The less you know for now, the less my father will have to yell at you for later."

"Somehow, I don't find that reassuring..." In the back seat, Artoo-Detoo beeped his agreement.

Despite their nervousness, Leia forged on, parking them in a long-term spot and grabbing her bag. The princess pulled up the hood of her cloak, leading the uneasy pair behind her through the crowded spaceport towards a rather small sized passenger cruiser. She handed pre-paid tickets to the alien in the toll both, ignoring Ahln's grimace when he spotted the sign indicating their destination.

Fortunately, the guard held off on confronting her about it until they were situated in a small private room, Artoo sealing and declaring it free of surveillance.

"What in the stars has possessed you to take a trip to the Outer Rim?!" The man hissed, hands grasping at his hair. "And to lie about it to your parents-!"

"This is a private mission of the utmost importance, Captain." Leia said coolly, taking a seat on one of the two bunks. "You'll be welcome to sit it out, but once we arrive on Tatooine I won't be leaving until either my time is up or I find what I'm looking for."

"Which is what, exactly, your highness?"

"A boy my age," she murmured. "With the surname of Skywalker."

" _She looks just like me," the teen murmured wistfully._

" _Yes, she did." Bail sighed back, looking at the holo over his adopted daughter's shoulder. "But as beautiful as Padme was, her intelligence and wit were even more striking. She was a great Senator, an eloquent speaker of the highest caliber."_

 _Leia gazed longingly at the image of her birth mother, before reluctantly moving on to the next image. This one was also of Padme, but a posed shot, rather than the more candid one before. In this image, she was standing among a gathering of Senators and assistants, with several other people in the background. Jedi, Leia realized, spotting their distinctive lightsabers. There was one in particular who caught her eye - a tall, strapping young man, caught very unsubtly eyeing the woman that was her mother._

" _Who's that?"_

" _Hm?" Out of the corner of her eye, Leia saw Bail's gaze shift, and watched worriedly as his face paled. "No one, sweetheart. Now, this next picture..."_

It hadn't been 'no one'. At the next chance available to her, Leia returned to that image-file, and used it to search for anyone matching the picture of the young Jedi. Information on them was rare in the days after the Purge, but the royal estate's library was extensive, and held plenty of hiding places among its shelves for datafiles of a sensitive nature. Within a month of searching, Leia was able to find a name for the face - Anakin Skywalker.

And that name was enough to lead her to other records, of adventures and missions, more than a few of which had her other parent mentioned within them as well. From there, and a few other private images she was able to locate in Bail's private albums, led the teenager to the conclusion that she'd found her father as well as her mother.

Upon confronting her adoptive parents over the matter, they admitted to it, and then Bail made another slip-up in addition to his original decision of his sharing pictures of Padme.

" _It was a matter of safety," the man explained to her. "Both of you had to be protected, to prevent Vader or the Emperor from finding and killing you."_

" _Both?"_

Reluctantly, he said that a Jedi survivor had taken her twin brother to an Outer Rim world for his safety, much as Leia was given to the Organa's for hers. She'd promised to leave the matter there, but a bit more digging revealed that Anakin Skywalker was born on Tatooine. Just seeing the name of the planet was enough to strike a chord within Leia's soul, convincing her that the twin she'd begun to dream about was hidden there.

All of which led to her, Ahln and Artoo being on a ship bound for the desert world...


	18. 17:Fellow Padawans, Part 1

Chapter 17 - Fellow Padawans, Part 1

(Summary: Hera sighed, gesturing towards the weathered old man and a blonde teenager who looked to be Ezra's age. "Guys, these are Obi-wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker. And they need somewhere to hide for a while.")

"Did Fulcrum say why she needed to see us so quickly?" Hera shook her head at Kanan's question, striding quickly down the base's hallway. They'd gotten an emergency transmission just that morning, asking the _Ghost_ crew to come as quickly as possible to a meeting with the Rebel operative. There was no explanation included, only the cryptic phrase that someone needed their assistance.

Chopper, Zeb, Sabine and Ezra had all been ordered to stay aboard the ship, something that they all fumed over - or would have, anyway, had Hera not silenced them all with a threatening glare. She and Kanan then headed off down the sparsely lit halls carved through the asteroid, each wondering over what was wrong.

Finally, they reached the door to a meeting room, where Ahsoka's distinctive figure was waiting. The Togruta Jedi greeted them with a strained smile, gesturing for both to enter. Inside, there were a few other key members of the rebellion gathered, whether in person or through holo-displays. Hera took note of them all, her gaze pausing on an unknown, yet vaguely familiar looking pair towards the back: a old man with white hair wearing dusty brown robes, and a blonde teenager dressed in loose white tunic and trousers. She was just about to open her mouth to ask Kanan if he knew who they were, when he suddenly pulled away from her, heading directly for the two.

"Master Kenobi?" The old man smiled, exchanging a quick bow with the younger Jedi before grasping his hand. They shared several quiet words, Kanan's expression changing from excitement to dismay, then to resolute determination.

"I figured he was going to do that," Ahsoka murmured as she stepped up beside Hera.

"Who are those two?" The twi'lek asked, causing her friend to sigh.

"Obi-wan Kenobi, whom I think you'll remember from the War." And remember Hera did, both the Jedi and the clone division he'd commanded who helped to liberate her home planet many years before. For someone only in his mid-fifties, the human had not aged well, appearing a good decade or two older.

"And the boy?"

"Luke Skywalker." It took a moment for the surname to register in Hera's mind, and then she whipped her head around to stare at Ahsoka. "I know. He's Anakin's son, born just as the Empire was formed. Obi-wan took him to Tatooine, and has kept himself hidden there all these years to keep an eye on the kid." Across the room, Luke seemed to know he was being discussed, as his curious gaze switched over from Kanan and Kenobi to Ahsoka and Hera.

"Were they discovered?" The pilot asked in concern. Another sigh answered her.

"I haven't gotten the full story, but something happened with Luke's records that attracted the Empire's attention. Obi-wan had to get him out of there before he was arrested and taken to Vader or the Emperor. Hera, they need to disappear."

Eyeing her friend, Hera nodded as she understood what was being asked. "Do we have a destination in mind for them?"

"No. It's going to have to be somewhere almost completely removed from Imperial influence, and that's getting harder and harder to manage. Before going anywhere, though, they need a couple of months in order to let any search efforts die down."

"Right. We'll start making room aboard the _Ghost."_

"Thank you, Hera." Ahsoka hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I hope I don't need to tell you how important it is that these two remain safe - to me personally, as well as to the rebellion."

Recalling that the Togruta had once been Anakin Skywalker's apprentice, Hera set a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder. "I promise, Ahsoka. I'll protect them as much as I do my own crew." The grateful smile she received in return only served to deepen the woman's conviction to fulfill the oath she'd just made.


	19. 18:Push and Pull, Part 3 (End)

_A/N: IMPORTANT! New Content added to the Table of Contents! I'd be very interested in knowing y'all's thoughts on upcoming stories!_

 _That's all. Back to our regularly scheduled Au._

Chapter 18 - Push and Pull, Part 3

(Summary: Anakin Skywalker died with the rest of Coruscant's Police Force in the '66 takeover. Vader now serves as Mayor Palpatine's right hand man, in darkness and the light of day. He never expected the Skywalker children to seek him out, but that's exactly what they did.)

 _(Takes place approximately four weeks after Part 2)_

He should have seen it coming.

For the better part of the past month, Vader had been enjoying regular visits with his children. Their schedules had become busy again with the conclusion of Spring Break, which was when the twins first contacted him, but Luke and Leia still found plenty of opportunities to meet him in the afternoon or on weekends. The trio would have meals together at Bast Manor, or visit other locations around the city. Sometimes Vader would only meet with one or the other if their activities got in the way - once, he took Leia to visit a private horse stable outside the city while Luke was at soccer practice, and on another occasion when his daughter was busy with debate club he showed his son the impressive automobile collection Vader had acquired over the years. It was all incredibly pleasant; wonderful, even, as Luke grew into the new relationship with open enthusiasm and Leia got over the majority of her old hostility.

So really, Vader should have known something would come along to threaten it all.

But he never guessed it would appear in the form of a petite, chocolate-haired woman with fire in her eyes.

The security guard didn't even have a chance to announce the visitor's arrival before she was barging through the door, steam coming out both ears. Vader immediately waved his guard away, not wanting the man to witness what was about to occur.

Though, that might have been a futile gesture, as it was entirely possible that the muffling quality of the doors and walls would not be enough to prevent Padme's shouts from ringing resoundedly through the building.

"How dare you," she hissed as soon as they were alone. "How dare you contact my children-"

"They came to me." Vader cut her off. "Luke and Leia showed up here one day asking to speak to me. Since then I have only had as much interaction with them as they desired."

"You should have sent them away!" Padme furiously informed him.

"I couldn't."

"Don't feed me that lie! You know very well what could happen to them, being close to you! And I know very well how easily you could betray them for your own means-!"

"I will never!" Vader yelled back, taking a step towards his estranged wife. "I will never bring my children to harm, Padme."

"What makes you think they're yours?"

He favored her with a flat look, reigning back the anger that boiled from her statement. "Besides the fact that Luke looks just as I did at that age? That Leia clearly inherited my temperament as well as my ability to hold a grudge? Not to mention that they're the right age, not old or young enough to have been born of any other affair you might have had." Padme's fists clenched as she glowered at him, but the woman didn't bother trying to argue the point further.

"I want you to stop seeing them."

"That's the one thing you can't make me do, Padme. You can't order them to stop, either - the twins are legal adults now, able to spend time with whomever they wish." Taking a deep breath, Vader forced himself to calm down. "I know, after what happened, that you will never trust me the same as you once did. But please, Angel, believe me when I say that I will never allow either of our children to be hurt because of me."

"You can't promise that." She replied, equally quietly. "I do believe that you mean it when you say it, but it's the one thing you can't swear to, Ani." With that, she turned and swept from the room, throwing the doors back open and stomping off down the hall. Vader waved away the concerned guard when the man poked his head in, ordering him simply to make sure Mrs. Skywalker was safely allowed out of the building. Once he was alone again, Vader dropped heavily into his seat, seriously debating drinking himself into a stupor. It would force him to reschedule half the next day's activities, though, as a hangover would not be conducive to running meetings.

But before Vader could commit to the decision to break out his liquor, the guard returned with a new visitor. Leia took one look at her father, grabbed him by the hand and promptly hauled him out of the room. Both remained silent on the walk out of the building, not speaking until they were outside and heading towards where Luke waited with his car.

"Was she-?"

"She'd already left." Leia tersely answered her twin. She then pushed their father into the backseat, clambering after him. Luke slid into the driver's seat and started the engine.

Vader didn't pay any attention at all to their route, instead stewing in his memories, some pleasant, some not. It wasn't until the car came to a stop that he looked up, and blinked.

"Where are we?"

"A very private spot." Leia pronounced, resuming her manhandling by shoving Vader out of the vehicle. "One that you're not allowed to tell anyone about."

"We've never brought anyone else here," Luke added, taking up position on his father's right while Leia stepped up to the man's left. "And the only other person who knows about it is the one who first brought us here as kids."

The three of them walked up a forest path, quickly leaving the dirt road and parking lot behind. Vader felt himself becoming more at ease as they traveled through the trees, moving steadily uphill until they finally emerged onto a clifftop. Stretching out below was the entirety of Coruscant City, crystalline and glass towers forming a shining center, while other buildings gradually grew shorter and grimier the further out they went.

Awed by the view, it took Vader a few moments to realize someone else was present at the overlook. Footsteps were his first clue, dragging the man's gaze over to the side. When he saw who it was, he stiffened in shock.

"Artie?"

Arthur Detoo, looking far older than Vader remembered, grinned at him. The other man signed a greeting, following it up with a symbol they'd first developed as boys, more than three decades before. _Nice to see you, Anakin-brother._

Vader hesitantly stepped forward, and when his old friend didn't flinch away, embraced him in a tight hug. And for the first time in nearly eighteen years, a few tears slipped from the man's eyes.


	20. 19:Unexpected Encounter, Part 1

Chapter 19 - Unexpected Encounter, Part 1

(Summary: "What is your name, youngling?" Maketh tried to make the question as soft and unthreatening as possible. "...Ezra." "And how old are you, Ezra? Six?" "'m seven.")

Stifling a weary groan, Maketh Tua, newly elected Prime Minister of Lothal, walked out of her government's main office building at the end of a long day. She'd had to review and approve various business contracts, issue the orders for reconstruction to begin on one of their damaged buildings, keep peace between the minor nobility with their backwater squabbles... There were times when the woman wondered what in the galaxy had possessed her to return to this planet, and today had been one of them.

She nodded to the pair of stormtrooper guards posted at the front entrance while striding past, and hurried on to the nearest crosswalk. Her home was not too far from headquarters, and Maketh considered it good form to get a bit of exercise in each day. Thoughts of the meal waiting for her kept the woman preoccupied, but not so much that she missed spotting the rapidly oncoming speeder from the right - or the youngling just dashing past her, about to cross the street and get himself splattered.

Eyes widening, Maketh lept forward and caught the back of the boy's shirt, hauling him away from the road. A split second later, the careening speeder swept past, continuing on in its wild flight and not mowing down the youngling. Granted, it then collided with another vehicle further down the street, but she ignored that for the time being.

"Don't you know better than to dash into a road without looking where you're going?" It only took a moment for Maketh to regret her harsh tone, as the pair of wide blue eyes staring up at her began to grow tearful. "Now now, don't start crying little one, everything's fine." When the boy didn't react beyond looking down and trembling, she knelt to give him a quick, one-armed hug around the shoulders.

"Minister Tua, are you alright?" The pair of stormtroopers whom she'd passed only a minute before approached, having seen the incident.

"Yes, I'm quite alright, but I demand you arrest that driver. I want that person punished for breaking speeder regulations and nearly running down children in the streets." Once the troopers moved off, Maketh again turned her attention to the silent boy. "Now little one, where are your parents?"

He merely shrugged. An unsatisfactory answer if ever she saw one.

"Do you have a way of contacting them?"

Tufts of wild raven-blue hair bounced as the youngling shook his head.

"Well, do you know how to get home from here?"

Finally, a nod.

"Come along then, I'm going to walk you back, and then see about explaining what happened." As well as find out what sort of people let their children go running about alone in the city, dashing into roads and such. That was the sort of thing that made her suspicious, and tempted to contact Youngling Services.

The boy gave her a wary glance, but nonetheless stayed close as he guided her away from the government complex through the heart of the city. Well-kept shops and businesses gave way to slightly shabbier buildings, and soon enough the two were in one of the older residential districts. Houses here were set close together, two or three stories tall, with a mix of the higher and lower features distinctive to the middle class.

As her small companion began to slow his steps, Maketh cast her gaze over the nearest such homes, attempting to see if she could identify which one he was heading for.

Then they stopped in front of the one house her eyes had passed right over.

Signs warning of imminent demolition and threats to trespassers littered the surface of the outer walls, causing Maketh's heart to sink. Sure enough, the boy walked right up to the door. With one last anxious look back at her, he triggered the lock and let himself in. Maketh followed a moment later, pausing in the doorway until her eyes adjusted to the darkness.

Inside, there was a generous layer of dust over what had been a tidy household. Not much of it appeared to have been disturbed, except for where a small trail lay between the front door, the kitchen, and the stairwell. The youngling made a beeline for this last location, disappearing up the steps before Maketh had a chance to do more than blink.

Distantly questioning her sanity, she went after him.

The trail in the dust led to the second door down the upstairs hall, into what had to be the child's bedroom. He'd pulled the blankets and sheets from his bed, piling them up in the tiny closet to form some sort of nest. It was there that the boy waited for her, clutching a stuffed loth-cat and a holodisk to his chest. Silently, Maketh went to sit in front of him.

After a while, the youngling held out his holo-disk and activated it. Maketh's breath caught in her throat at the sight of the family portrait, recognizing the boy's parents. Mira and Ephraim Bridger had been arrested for treason against the Empire a mere week after her election to office, and she'd overheard a pair of technicians commenting on the fact that no one seemed to know where the pair had made their seditious broadcasts from. Three months later, it was still something of a mystery, but not one a Prime Minister bothered to puzzle over. She had, after all, many more important things to consider with her time.

...More important, that is, until she found herself sitting in a condemned house, beside a young orphan who clearly had no one else to turn to since his parents were taken away.

Maketh's troubled thoughts were interrupted when the boy's stomach rumbled. He blushed at her amused glance, squeezing the stuffed toy closer.

"What is your name, youngling?" Maketh tried to make the question as soft and unthreatening as possible. The boy bit his lip, clearly thinking it over, but finally answered her.

"...Ezra."

"Well, Ezra, it just so happens that I have an entire dinner waiting at my home, and no one to share it with. Do you think you'd be comfortable coming with me?"

Eventually, he nodded. Maketh promptly stood, and on an impulse scooped Ezra up into her arms, settling the child on her hip, toy and all. He hung onto her easily, and the pair departed without further hesitation.


	21. 20:Family Bonds are Strongest, Part 2

Chapter 20 - Family Bonds are Strongest, Part 2

(Summary: When Ahsoka walked away from the Jedi Order, so did Anakin.)

 _(Takes place two years after Part 1)_

Though Master Kit Fisto had proven himself a worthy leader of the 501st since Skywalker's departure from the Jedi Order, most of the troopers still preferred to think of Anakin as 'their' General, and Ahsoka as Commander. Fighting the war carried on as it always had, with losses and medical leaves, but also victories and the occasional party that Rex turned a blind eye to. Whenever he and his men handled themselves well in a tough fight, the captain would make a private toast in his quarters, thinking of his two ex-Jedi and wondering how they fared.

From time to time, he got an answer.

On the first occasion, almost no one believed Hardcase's claims that a shadowed figure with a pale blue lightsaber defended him when the injured man was pinned down by enemy fire in a nighttime battle. But then Jesse and Dogma, trapped in a cave with the entrance collapsed, were led through the darkness back to their own lines by two shafts of white light.

After that, Anakin and Ahsoka became a little more obvious in their appearances, at least to the troopers. There would be reports of sighting them during battles, with the pair doing their best to wreak havoc amongst the Seppies, keeping attention away from their former outfit. Once, the Togruta had attracted Kix's attention during a fight's aftermath, and gotten him to sneak away to help patch up a bad cut on her mentor's leg. That was the first occasion they'd actually spoken with a member of the 501st, and promised to still show up when and where they could. Kix also made the pair swear to look after themselves at the same time, and in return, Anakin told him the frequency code for a pair of emergency comlinks they kept on at all times. He was instructed to pass it along to Rex as well, and that only Senator Amidala also had the code.

Rex nurtured certain suspicions about the Naboo woman's involvement with his General resigning, but never bothered to contact her in an effort to confirm them. He never used the code, either, saving it for emergencies as Anakin had said.

Then one came.

"They killed Fives," he spoke into his private comm console, voice grim. "Trying to cover up the whole, sorry mess. There's a biochip inside our heads, all the clones, with a single command. To execute any and all Jedi should Order 66 come down."

It was agonizing, waiting for a response, but as soon as one did come through Rex felt himself relax as he hadn't in two years.

 _*Acknowledged, Captain. Snips and I will get this information to the proper hands. I can't guarantee anything will be able to be done about the troopers, but the Jedi will be warned.*_

"Glad to hear it, sir. I've also decided to get out while I can - and several of the veterans will be coming with me. We want to get these damned things out of our heads, and if that means leaving the Army behind then so be it."

 _*...Understood, Rex. I'll transmit the coordinates of a safehouse we use in the Fyrellian system. And if you need help getting away, don't hesitate to ask Senator Amidala. She can be trusted as much as me.*_

With that, his General signed off, and Rex returned to making plans for getting himself, a few of his men and some 212th troopers safely away. Cody, when told of the biochip, had elected to stay put until they discovered a way to get the thing removed. If and when Order 66 was delivered, he wanted his mind clear, the better to be able to help General Kenobi escape. He'd also taken the news to other like-minded commanders, and so far Wolffe, Bacara, Bly, Grey and one or two more had agreed to follow Cody's example. They'd all become incredibly loyal to the Jedi they worked with, and understood that the biochips being a previous secret meant someone high up in the Republic wanted to make sure the Force-users could all be exterminated with extreme prejudice and no hesitation. Such a thing didn't sit well with the commanders, and they promised to start spreading the word amongst the more close-mouthed members of their outfits.

When a safe method was found, they would all be getting their biochips removed.

And after that, should Order 66 be delivered, they'd be ready to find out who had issued it and why, before turning that command back upon the giver with some extreme prejudice of their own.


	22. 21:Unexpected Encounter, Part 2

Chapter 21 - Unexpected Encounter, Part 2

(Summary: "What is your name, youngling?" Maketh tried to make the question as soft and unthreatening as possible. "...Ezra." "And how old are you, Ezra? Six?" "'m seven.")

 _(Takes place three years after Part 1)_

Still grumbling under his breath, Kallus ignored the door buzzer and pounded his fist straight onto the transparisteel panel. He didn't have long to wait before it opened, and immediately opened his mouth to start fussing at Minister Tua.

The words died in his mouth when the agent realized the door had slid aside to reveal a male youngling, not the grown female he was expecting.

"Erm... Good day. Is the Minister at home?" Silence returned his question, as the boy looked him up and down. Kallus took the moment to conduct his own inspection, noting that the youngling was well-kempt, dressed in fine quality casual wear, and appeared to be ten or eleven years of age. He also shared not a single physical feature with Tua.

"She's out right now." The boy's sudden statement snapped Kallus out of his thoughts. "May I take a message?"

"It's Imperial business, boy. When do you expect her back?"

"Oh... in about thirty seconds."

Kallus blinked. As the youngling smirked and tilted his head to one side, the agent turned to look behind him. Sure enough, the Minister was walking up the path towards them, a large package held firmly in her hands.

"Agent Kallus, may I ask what you are doing here?" She asked upon reaching the house's front porch.

"There's an important matter I need to discuss with you, Minister, but you'd left your office before I could catch you."

"And it couldn't wait until morning?" He raised an eyebrow at her blatant irritation, and the woman reigned her temper in a bit. "Oh, very well. Ezra, take this to the kitchen for me, would you? And _don't_ open it, young man, or you'll regret it."

"Yes, ma'am." The boy disappeared with the package, and Tua led Kallus through the house to her private office.

"I was unaware you had a child, Minister." Small talk wasn't usually his forte, but the agent found himself wanting to hear her explanation.

"Ah," Tua smiled. "I've had Ezra for three and a half years now. He's an orphan I took in off the streets. Not many people know of him, actually, as I hire only the most discreet of private tutors."

"I see."

Once in the office, the Minister closed and sealed the door, before turning to favor him with an exasperated expression. "Now, what is this all about?"

"We've had a security breach."

Tua paled. "What happened?"

"A shipment of mechanical parts for our AT-TEs at the Academy was intercepted and stolen. The only way the thieves could have gotten that convoy's schedule was if someone within our highest ranked officials leaked it out, either for profit, or some misguided attempt at rebellion."

The woman scowled, moving around to the far side of her desk. "Unacceptable. I'll begin an investigation immediately. I _will_ not have traitors to the Empire within my administration."

Listening outside the office door, Ezra bit his lip and quietly backed away.


	23. 22:Family Bonds are Strongest, Part 3

Chapter 22 - Family Bonds are Strongest, Part 3

(Summary: When Ahsoka walked away from the Jedi Order, so did Anakin.)

 _(Takes place within a year after Part 2)_

"You took a chance coming here!" Padme whisper-yelled as she shut the balcony doors. Pulling off his long coat, Anakin simply grinned.

"Nah, everyone's too busy with cleaning up after the battle to notice an ex-Jedi slipping into his wife's apartments." Leaning forward to kiss her, Anakin's hand found its way to rest on Padme's protruding belly. "How's the little Skywalker?"

"Restless. He misses you."

"Mm, I bet she does." The pair eyed each other for a moment, silently daring the other to call them out on the continued determinations over what their child's gender was. Padme hadn't dared go to a professional doctor for fear of discovery by the media, and Anakin was unable to check either, as he rarely if ever used the Force while on Coruscant. There was too much risk that one of the Jedi would sense him and come to investigate.

"Well, soon enough we'll see," Padme finally broke the stalemate, going to sit on the sofa and pulling Anakin after her. "It'll be just the three of us on Naboo for a whole month, before I have to come back to my Senatorial duties."

"Mm, _that_ part I'm not looking forward to so much. But! I'm sure the little Sky and I will find ways to sneak on-planet to surprise visit you."

"Ani! You'd better not! I don't want the Order to find out about him, or you. Who knows what kind of risk that would put you both in?"

"Even if they find out, Angel, I'm never letting them take our daughter away." Holding his wife close, Anakin closed his eyes and simply breathed her in. "Even should I fail, Ahsoka will protect her, and Rex, and all the five oh first boys."

"Hmph."

They remained there for a long while, enjoying each other's presence, while outside Coruscant recovered from recent siege and the kidnapping of Chancellor Palpatine. Anakin and Ahsoka had, of course, found a way to help out, by taking their small, specialized ship up into the battle and ripping through the Separatist vulture droids. Despite never responding to any hails or orders to clear the area, it was clear that quite a few of the clone pilots must have recognized Anakin's flying style, because they fell in around the ex-Jedi and became a makeshift squadron. With Ahsoka handling the rear guns and Artoo playing co-pilot, the customized ship cut a wide swath through the enemy, allowing even those pilots who didn't follow their lead to gain an advantage.

Then the public broadcast was put out, that Masters Kenobi and Fisto had regained custody of the Chancellor and were getting him off of the flag ship. Rather than escort the Jedi and their charge down to the surface, as a great part of him wanted to, Anakin instead turned his guns to firing on the small, private vessel that was fleeing the flagship at the same time. As soon as it was obliterated, he and Ahsoka both felt a large ripple in the Force, signalling Dooku's demise.

After the Separatists were resoundly beaten, one of the ex-Jedi went to check in with her clone contacts, while the other decided to have some private time with his wife and unborn child.

Soon enough, however, the time came that Anakin had to depart, as he and Ahsoka needed to be off-world before someone (probably Obi-wan) attempted to investigate the origins of the craft that had commandeered control of a fair chunk of the battle. Neither he nor Padme noticed the eyes watching as they said goodbye at the balcony doors, or how that greedy gaze remained on the woman even after her secret husband had departed.


	24. 23:Realm of Light, Part 2

Chapter 23 - Realm of Light, Part 2

(Summary: Palpatine attempted to make himself Emperor. Anakin opposed him, and the two died within minutes of each other. As Padme struggles to push past her grief, Obi-wan and the other Jedi attempt to adjust to the knowledge of Anakin's marriage - and his newborn twins.)

 _(Takes place six years after Part 1)_

Spinning as she jumped towards her opponent, Leia grinned when the other youngling attempted to sidestep, and went straight into her trap. Ezra yelped when the girl's training saber smacked against the back of his hand, and instinctively released his grip.

"Ha!" Leia cheered, summoning his saber to her left hand and promptly brandishing both in Ezra's direction. The boy rolled his eyes.

"Yes, you win again. Congratulations. Don't think that means you'll always beat me, though."

"Wouldn't dream of it." She said primly, powering down the two sabers. Through the Force bond she had with her twin, Leia announced her new victory. Across the sparring hall, Luke gave no physical sign of his acknowledgement, swept up as he was in his own duel with another of their fellow students, a girl named Mara Jade. The bond, though, warmed with his congratulations.

As more and more sparring matches came to a close, several Jedi Masters observing from above began murmuring their observations.

"Wild, the Skywalker girl is, with her strikes." Yoda murmured. "Potential of recklessness, to develop, there is."

"Yet, her brother is the picture of calm determination," Plo Koon added, gesturing to where the blonde and redhaired younglings were still throwing themselves into their duel, even as most others finished. "I've yet to see him lose his temper or control."

Depa Billaba nodded, watching the final match intently. "I'd say the twins are two sides of the same coin, Masters. Perhaps a special set of tests should be put forth, to strengthen their bond."

"But what of when they must attend to different matters?" Mace Windu cut in. "The Skywalkers must learn to go forth without always being at each other's sides."

Other conversations were had throughout the observation room, including one off to the far side between a pair of young Knights.

"They'd never go for it," Caleb Dume was adamant.

"You won't know until you try." Ahsoka Tano insisted, grinning at him. "You've been a Knight for two years now, Dume, no one would bat an eye at your interest in becoming a mentor."

"Yeah, but they might if it's over a specific student." Several years before, Caleb and his Master had found a Force sensitive youngling on the Outer Rim world of Lothal. The only way to get the child's parents to agree to give him up for training at the Temple had been for Caleb to promise he'd always keep an eye on the kid. And now, as Ezra Bridger was approaching the age where he could become a Padawan, there seemed to be an obvious way for Dume to keep his promise.

"Try. I guarantee, if you speak to Master Yoda or Obi-wan beforehand, you'll have a sympathetic ear. Kriff, even Master Windu - he was the one to find Billaba, wasn't he? And they were Master and Padawan when her time came."

"Well..."

"Trust me, if you ask you'll be surprised. There's going to be a much bigger stink when I ask to mentor Leia, anyway."

Caleb glanced at the Togruta in surprise. "The Skywalker girl? Why would you- oh."

"She reminds me of Anakin," Ahsoka said softly, watching where the youngling was laughing about something with Ezra. "And part of me misses that. A greater part says I've got a better chance of keeping her on the right path than anyone else."

"And you don't think Master Kenobi could do the same?"

"I think it's more likely he'll ask to mentor Luke. Obi-wan doesn't display it much, but I know he still feels guilty for allowing Anakin to get so close to falling to the Dark Side. For him to take on the twin who most resembles their father with her temperament is a bigger risk that he'd be willing to take, despite the fact that Leia's already had a great deal more training by this age than Anakin."

"Hn." Caleb gave her a sympathetic look. "Suddenly, I'm very glad Master Billaba never passed on these kinds of problems to me."

"You should be." Ahsoka grinned back. "Though I get the feeling teaching Ezra will be just as great a challenge for you." The other Knight let out a weak chuckle at that, though a quiet determination sparked in his eyes when he looked back down to where the younglings were gathering, their matches all complete. Luke and Mara never did decide a winner, as the sparring instructor finally went over and ordered both of them to withdraw.

"Next time, Skywalker, you're mine." The girl whispered to her fellow student as they walked over to the others.

"Don't bet on it, Jade, I've still got some tricks up my sleeve." Luke muttered back. Inside, the boy promised himself that, no matter who won their next duel, he'd always make sure to match Mara skill for skill, step for step. Leia overheard, and promptly sent him a teasing nudge through the Force, which Luke ignored for the time being. The next nudge that his sister sent was more serious, with an image accompanying it of the lower docking bay of the Temple. Luke acknowledged their scheduled outing for that night, before focusing completely on what criticisms and praise the sparring instructor was handing out to them all.


	25. 24:Family Bonds are Strongest, Part 4

Chapter 24 - Family Bonds are Strongest, Part 4

(Summary: When Ahsoka walked away from the Jedi Order, so did Anakin.)

 _(Takes place a week after Part 3)_

Grumbling to himself, Anakin walked up to the bar and placed his order, not caring that it was a bit stronger than his usual choice of alcohol. In the ex-Jedi's opinion, he needed something a bit stronger than normal at the moment.

Palpatine was a Sith.

How he hadn't seen it, when the man was supposedly his close friend for so many years, was frustrating in the extreme. How _the entire Jedi Council_ hadn't seen it, when they were supposed to be the ones most in-tune with the ways of the Force, Anakin couldn't even comprehend.

Not that there was much left of a coherent Council by this point, though.

Despite thousands of clone troopers secretly getting their biochips removed, there were tens of thousands more who didn't. And those tens of thousands, when Palpatine gave the order, opened fire on any nearby Jedi they could.

Some managed to survive and escape.

A lot more didn't.

Fortunately, when Order 66 went out, some troopers loyal to the Jedi went straight to the Temple on Coruscant. Thanks to their timely efforts and a fair amount of luck, the elders and younglings there were gotten out before other clones could arrive to execute them. Those Jedi, the weakest and most inexperienced respectively, scattered throughout Coruscant. Most made it onto transports to escape before Palpatine took full control, but there were those who hadn't. This was what led to Anakin and Ahsoka sneaking back onto the planet mere days after getting off it, in order to track down those who were missing and smuggle them onto ships run by sympathetic crews.

When the task was down to managing the final group of half a dozen younglings, with whom Ahsoka was very familiar, Anakin left her to it, intending to go get himself at least buzzed if not drunk.

Drunk was too dangerous a state to be in at the moment.

Still mulling over how everything could have possibly fallen to pieces so quickly, it took the ex-Jedi a few moments longer than usual to note what was on the holo-net projector behind the bar.

"Hey, turn up the volume, would you?"

" _...just in, Naboo Senator Padme Amidala has been arrested on suspicion of treason and sedition against the new Empire, including consorting with Jedi. Imperial Stormtroopers escorted her from the Senate building mere minutes ago, and an official statement from the Emperor's office states that Amidala will be held in custody until her trial, set for the end of this week..."_

Anakin was out the door before the newscaster finished speaking.

 _A/N: Ain't I a stinker? Going to update a chapter a day this week, so check back in soon! On another note, like this story's new image icon? Drew it myself! -Tri_


	26. 25:Realm of Light, Part 3

Chapter 25 - Realm of Light, Part 3

(Summary: Palpatine attempted to make himself Emperor. Anakin opposed him, and the two died within minutes of each other. As Padme struggles to push past her grief, Obi-wan and the other Jedi attempt to adjust to the knowledge of Anakin's marriage - and his newborn twins.)

 _(Takes place the evening after Part 2)_

When it had started, neither of the twins was exactly sure. But once a month ever since they were toddlers, the pair had been snuck out of the Jedi Temple in order to visit their mother.

They never learned her name, or what work it was she did for a living, but that wasn't important. Their mother was often a bit distant, but it was obvious she cared about them, and always wanted to hear about whatever they'd been up to since seeing her last. And, on her better nights, when her signature in the Force didn't tremble so much with grief, she'd tell them stories of their father.

Many Jedi would remark about him when Luke and Leia were around, but not even Obi-wan or Ahsoka, who had been his Master and Padawan respectively, would tell the twins very much about Anakin Skywalker. They knew the basics of his life, and of what he did to end the war and bring Palpatine to justice, thanks to their teachings in the Temple, no more than what any other youngling received in their education.

Mother told them of his heart, his mind, his plans and flaws and dreams. She told them of how the two had met, and their earliest adventures, and then how he won her love a decade later. She'd tell them of the Clone Wars, and secret missions, and brief, tender moments the two could share in secret.

She told the twins that when their father fought the Sith Lord, he wasn't doing it for the Jedi, for the Republic, or even for the galaxy's sake.

He'd sacrificed himself for them. For his family.

"Do you think we can get her to tell us more about the start of the war on Geonosis tonight?" Leia asked, as the pair sat in the back of the speeder with their hoods up.

"I dunno. But, maybe it would be better to start with what we've been doing in preparation for the Initiate Trials." Luke responded, his gaze locked firmly on the controls of the vehicle. In the driver's seat, Obi-wan smiled, fully aware of where the youngling's attention was. While both of the twins had inherited their father's talent with mechanics and piloting, Luke was the one with the passion for them, whereas his sister preferred working on her saber skills and manipulations of the Force.

Swinging sedately down to the modest apartment building, Obi-wan carefully landed in the private garage used by the top few floors. Both young Skywalkers promptly jumped out, and walked quickly to where a familiar figure was waiting for them by the interior door.

"Hello, Mother." They chorused, reaching to embrace her. The slight woman hugged them back, smiling softly. She nodded to Obi-wan, who returned the gesture before taking off in the speeder again. As per their arrangement, he'd return in three hours time for the twins.

"Well, now," Padme said, looking down at her expectant children. "Why don't you both come in, we'll all get something warm to drink and then settle in to enjoy ourselves?"


	27. 26:New Family, New Hope, Part 2

Chapter 26 - New Family, New Hope, Part 2

(Summary: Mentally pressing for Leia's hidden secrets while aboard the Death Star, Vader finds not the location of the Rebel base, but something much more personal: " _I recently learned the truth, that my real parents were Padme Amidala and Anakin Skywalker." "That's my father's name, too!")_

 _(Takes place not long after Part 1)_

"Oh, good evening Biggs."

"Hi, Mrs. Lars. Is Luke home? I was hoping to ask him about a funny noise I keep hearing from my speeder..." Catching these words, Luke promptly hopped up from where he was working on an old laser cutter and ran to the front door.

"Yes, I'll just call h- oh, nevermind, here he is."

"Thanks Aunt Beru, we'll be back in a bit." The two boys hurried back out into the warm Tatooine dusk, and made a beeline together to the Lars' homestead's garage.

As soon as they were alone, Luke looked expectantly at his friend. "Well?"

"It's definitely you she's looking for," Biggs told him bluntly. "I told her I knew of an old man Skywalker over in Mos Eisley, but she just shook her head and said she was looking for someone our age, fourteen, doesn't live with his parents, last name of Skywalker. I think she knew I was lying at first, too, with the look she gave me..."

Nervously, Luke paced back and forth a few times, before whirling back around to face his friend. "What does she want with me? And just who is this girl, anyway?!"

The day before, both boys had been leaving Anchorhead with Biggs' father when another of their friends ran up to them with a warning. Apparently, some off-world girl with a bodyguard was looking for Skywalkers, though she wouldn't say why. Knowing how uptight his uncle would get over the matter, Luke had begged Biggs to try and send the girl off on a wild monkey-lizard chase in order to prevent a confrontation. Desperately curious as he was, the boy didn't want to risk anything getting in the way of his earning the final chunk of credits needed to buy himself a T-16 Skyhopper.

"I dunno, Luke, but this doesn't look to be a problem you can ignore and wait to go away." Biggs hesitated for a moment before plowing onward. "I think you should go talk to her."

"What!"

"Come on, we can pretend you're coming over to my house, and instead I'll give you a lift to town. You can go talk to this girl, figure out why she's looking for you, and then get her to leave yourself. It'll be better to do it before you aunt's usual trip next week, right?"

"...I guess..."

"We can go by Beggar's Canyon on our way back, too, have a couple races before going home. What do you say?"

"Alright, fine. But this better not be like the time you convinced me we could make a sand dune tower, only for the stupid thing to collapse and bury us for two hours."

"Gimme a break, I was six! This will much different, you'll see."


	28. 27:Three Generations, Part 2

Chapter 27 - Three Generations, Part 2

(Summary: In a world where certain Attack of the Clones events never happened, Shmi Skywalker-Lars is delighted to meet her grandchildren. Less so about the bounty on their father's head, but still. Her family is once again complete.)

 _(Takes place immediately after Part 1)_

"What are your plans, now?" Owen asked quietly. Once the initial excitement had died down, everyone in the house sat down to eat and recover themselves a bit. Afterward, they moved to the main sitting room, where Owen posed the question to his step-brother.

Anakin sighed.

"We don't know," he admitted. "This was our first stop, just to get away from Palpatine's immediately influence in the Core, but now..."

"Why don't you just stay here?" Beru leaned forward in her seat. "Surely this new Empire won't bother much with Tatooine, any more than the Republic did - and besides, you said so yourself their influence is in the Core."

Anakin was already shaking his head. "This place won't be safe for much longer, for us or any of you."

"What do you mean?"

"Eventually, Palpatine is going to remember that this is my homeworld. He'll send someone out here to check for my presence - maybe even track down my mother in case they can use her as bait to lure me out." That set the room to uneasy silence. "Now, I may have used the Force to lead me here, but there are plenty of people on this planet who remember the name Anakin Skywalker. And some of them would also recall Shmi Skywalker, and where she went after being bought and freed."

The moisture farmers all exchanged wary glances.

"Then what can we do?" Cliegg asked.

"Hide. Spread the word amongst your neighbors that you're leaving for some reason, maybe across or even off world. Then find someplace you won't be noticed to stay, preferably in a city-"

"Oh, we don't have to go that far," Beru cut in. "We can switch homesteads."

"Huh?"

The woman hurried to explain. "My parents died several years ago, just after I'd started going out with Owen. Our farm's the next one over, so Cliegg and Shmi offered to combine our properties, let me stay here until I decided how to sort things out. And now, well, when Owen and I eventually have a child, he or she will inherit both farms.

"But, my family's house is currently empty, has been since my parents passed. No one bothers to visit there anymore since it's widely known where I live now. It would be the perfect place to hide, yet still be close enough to home to take care of the vaporators."

"We wouldn't be able to go into town, though, to sell or buy."

"I can handle that," Padme spoke up, smiling. "The Empire thinks I'm dead - they're only looking for Anakin, alone, which was half the reason we were able to get here undetected." Her husband blinked at her, while Shmi looked to the couple with a hopeful expression. "Don't you argue with me on this either, dear, we can hardly drop in, introduce your mother to her grandchildren and then disappear again for who knows how long."

"Would you really be willing to stay here, Ani?"

"Well... There's a part of me that wants to be out there, working against the Empire, striking back against Palpatine. But a stronger part is very insistent that Padme and the twins come first." He pressed a kiss to his wife's temple. "We'll stay."

And so, for the next three years, the combined Lars and Skywalker families inhabited the old Genis homestead together. There was indeed a group of troopers who came once to inspect their previous home, but didn't stay long after determining that it was well and truly empty.

Everyone made themselves useful: Cliegg and Owen ran the vaporators, with Anakin keeping any and all mechanical devices in a functioning state. Shmi managed the household, helped in large part by Beru, and Padme as well, when the Naboo woman wasn't making trips to town for supplies and to sell their harvested moisture. Luke and Leia, as they grew older, often toddled after their father, helping and hindering by turns when they'd use the Force to levitate various tools. When their baby cousin Chigi was born, the twins would also help by keeping an eye on him, entertaining the baby to keep him happy when they could and calling for Beru when they couldn't.

It all became rather idyllic, though Anakin and Padme would inevitably have days when they couldn't help but wonder how their old friends were doing as the Empire's reach spread across the galaxy.

Then came the day when they got their answers.

"I can't even cook native dishes from my _own_ homeworld, I don't know what makes you people think I'll ever be able to prepare Tatooine food correctly." Padme was complaining as she walked out of the kitchen to the dining table, bowl of mashed tubers in hand. Though, mashed was a bit of a misleading term - some of the tubers were only partially broken down, while others had become practically soup.

"I _know_ it, because I'm convinced our staples are much simpler to prepare than anything from a world as diverse as Naboo," Shmi smiled, right behind her. Held in the other woman's hands was a tray bearing three different dishes, all properly prepared.

Heading to the table himself, with a twin slung over each shoulder, Anakin couldn't help but chuckle. Three years of intense cooking lessons from his mother had done little to improve his wife's culinary abilities, but though she complained Padme never gave up. Part of him hoped that such determination would manifest in his children, which, combined with his own, would make them a powerful force to be reckoned with. Another, perhaps wiser part warned that he would curse that same hope in their teenage years, when the twins were most likely to be battling _him._

Thoughts of personality traits all went out the window, however, when something in the Force flickered, calling for Anakin's immediate attention. Conversation throughout the room gradually died down as the other adults realized something was distracting the former Jedi, causing him to turn towards the front door with a strange expression.

"Daddy?" Little Luke asked, peering in the same direction. "Who tha'?"

The door chime rang.


	29. 28:Little Ones (Standalone)

Chapter 28 - Little Ones (Standalone)

(Summary: Normally, Luke only brings Force-sensitive younglings back to his training grounds; but for little Rey and the two boys whom she's latched onto, he'll make an exception.)

 _Because this was too cute an idea to pass up, even if it disagrees with all versions of canon._

A flicker in the Force caught Luke's attention. Mara evidently felt it too, because when the man turned to look at his wife she was already rolling her eyes.

"Go," she said, nudging his shoulder with her own. Smiling in response, Luke went ahead and broke away from their path, striding into the less well kept streets of the city. He went where the Force guided him, and eventually the Jedi arrived at the boundary of a large plot of land given over to sloping junk piles. Carefully, he made his way along a tiny trail in the debris, and eventually found himself in a small clearing that rested at the very center of the junkyard. It was obviously inhabited, too, if the little tarplin shelter and cooking fire were any indication - not to mention the three living beings he could sense within the tent.

"Hello in there!" Luke called out, announcing his presence. "Anyone home?"

There were whispers in the shelter.

"I don't mean to intrude if I'm not welcome, but I was hoping to talk with the residents of this property. I do admit that I'm armed, but I promise not to activate my lightsaber unless asked to." At that, the front flap of the little tent was pushed aside a few inches, and suspicious brown eyes peered out at him.

"Lightsaber?" The little boy asked. "Are you a Jedi?"

"Mm-hm," Luke said, crouching down to the youngling's level. "My name is Luke. What's yours?"

"...Finn." The boy finally said, crawling out of the shelter and standing. He looked Luke up and down, taking in the brown robes, the lightsaber, and the man's cheerful expression. "If you're a Jedi, we can trust you, right?"

"I'd certainly like to think so." Luke replied with a small grin. "Though my brother-in-law claims I must cheat as sabaac, 'cause there's no other way I beat him so much. I think he just doesn't like to admit to being a bad card player." Finn snickered, before turning back to the tent.

"I think it's okay, guys." Two more younglings emerged, a boy and girl, also human. Now that he had the chance, Luke studied each one intently.

The first to speak with him was dark-skinned, wearing a grimy grey jumpsuit that might have been white at one point in time. He'd held himself in such a way during their conversation that led Luke to think Finn had been ready to either attack or bolt at a moment's notice. The other boy was a bit taller, warier, with sun-tanned skin and a mop of black hair. His clothes were an assortment of scavenged garments that had all seen better days, with a couple of make-shift knives tucked into the back of his rope belt.

It was the girl, though, whom Luke paid the most attention to. Her long brown hair was held back by three messy bobs, and she wore tan and grey woven clothes that looked like they'd more at home in a desert.

She also sang with the strength of the Force.

"That's Poe, and this is Rey," Finn was saying. "We live here, and don't let nobody chase us away."

"You've done a good job of surviving." Luke told them, his tone admiring. None of the younglings could have been more than seven or eight years old. "How did you all come to be here?"

"I always have been." Poe said, straightening his back unconsciously. "My mama had me here, 'fore she died, and it's always been my home. Finn showed up a couple years ago when he 'scaped from the bad soldier people, and Rey last summer when she got away from the slavers."

"I see. And you three all look out for one another?"

"Yep." Finn grinned as Poe smirked, both boys proud of themselves and their small family unit. Rey remained silent, however, studying the Jedi with intent eyes.

"You want to take me away." She suddenly declared. The other two swung their heads around to stare at her, startled.

"W-what?" Finn asked, nervous by the proclamation. Luke figured Rey must have made similar statements before, and always been proven right if the glare Poe was giving him was any indication.

"No! Rey's one of us now, a Dameron!" He growled, grabbing both his knives. "You can't steal her!"

"I don't want to steal her, young one. But Rey is strong with the Force, and I'd like to teach her how to use it, to become a Jedi." That gave the children pause.

"But couldn't Poe and Finn learn too?" Rey asked, her head canting slightly to one side.

"I'm afraid not, youngling. They don't have the same gift that you do."

"But couldn't they come too anyway?"

Luke hesitated.

In his searches throughout the galaxy for Force-sensitive children, he often had to reassure parents and siblings that they'd be able to visit their offspring in the future. This was the first occasion, though, where there were two other younglings to consider but no adults in the picture. He wanted to make sure that the other boys were looked after, but as for actually bringing non-Force users to his training grounds...

The Force shimmered, and with it, Luke made his decision.

A couple hours after her husband left on his mission, Mara was waiting in their newly procured hotel room, complete with both a double-sized and smaller bed. She was quite surprised, however, when Luke arrived with not one, but three younglings in tow. They wound up settling the trio onto the larger bed - after baths and a meal for each, of course. When night rolled around, both grown Jedi sat in meditation across from one another upon the individual sized frame. Communicating silently through the Force, Luke told her of his decision, and subsequent worries over how it would pan out.

As was her way, Mara calmed him down with a few lovingly-delivered insults, and then pointed out that with as much as Han, Chewie and other trusted non-Force users visited their hideaway planet, Poe and Finn would certainly not be ridiculously out of place. And having a couple younglings unlike themselves to interact with would be good for the students.

Eventually, her arguments won out with her husband, and the pair soon settled down to sleep themselves, tucked against one another beneath the covers.


	30. 29:Three Generations, Part 3

Chapter 29 - Three Generations, Part 3

(Summary: In a world where certain Attack of the Clones events never happened, Shmi Skywalker-Lars is delighted to meet her grandchildren. Less so about the bounty on their father's head, but still. Her family is once again complete.)

 _Thoughts of personality traits all went out the window, however, when something in the Force flickered, calling for Anakin's immediate attention. Conversation throughout the room gradually died down as the other adults realized something was distracting the former Jedi, causing him to turn towards the front door with a strange expression._

" _Daddy?" Little Luke asked, peering in the same direction. "Who tha'?"_

 _The door chime rang._

Suddenly breaking out of his stunned state, Anakin immediately strode towards it, despite the fact that both Luke and Leia were still draped across his two shoulders. Without slowly down, he hit the activator pad, reaching forward even as the metal slab was still sliding away.

Anakin grabbed the startled Obi-wan, and pulled him into a hug.

"Who-?" Owen's puzzled question was interrupted by a delighted gasp from Padme, who also dashed forward to hug the man as soon as her husband released him.

"Obi-wan! We'd thought you were dead-!"

"Yes, well, I'm clearly still well enough to be strangled by enthusiastic friends," he said with bemusement, accepting Padme's embrace though his eyes remained glued on Anakin - and the younglings perched upon him. "I don't suppose introductions could be passed around...?"

"It's good to see you, Obi-wan." Anakin murmured once, clasping his mentor's shoulder again before turning to face the others in the room. "This is my mother, Shmi Skywalker-Lars."

"A pleasure to see you alive and well, Master Kenobi," Shmi said, her eyes dancing. "Ani's told me much about you and all you've done for him over the years." Obi-wan bowed to her with a smile.

"It was - usually - my pleasure, my lady."

"And this is Cliegg Lars, my step-father. His son, Owen, and that's Beru, Owen's wife, and their son Chigi in the sling. And these," Anakin paused long enough to pull the twins off his shoulders and place them on the ground. "Are mine and Padme's children, Luke and Leia. Kids, this is your Uncle Obi."

"Hi!" Leia beamed, while Luke grinned a bit more shyly. Obi-wan knelt to study them more closely.

"Now, why do I get the feeling that you two are a pair of troublemakers?" He asked with a grin.

"'Cause we are!" The twins said together.

"It helps that they have a grandmother who spoils them rotten," Padme said dryly. That got a laugh out of everyone, and Obi-wan was swiftly welcomed inside, as another place was set at the dinner table.

At first, conversation centered around light-hearted subjects, such as what particular troubles the Skywalker twins were most known for causing. Eventually, though, when dinner wound down and the children put to bed, Obi-wan had his own story to tell.

"I was fortunate to have survived Order 66," he said, after an explanation of his escape from the troopers of the 212th. "Most others... Did not. When Palpatine ambushed us, he did so across all fronts. Masters and Knights gunned down by their own men was horrible enough, but clones were also sent into the Temple on Coruscant. It was a massacre.

"Yoda and I arrived their after the carnage, and I was able to set the Temple's beacon to warn away any other Jedi from returning. I've found a few since then who escaped, but not many. For the most part, everyone has gone to ground. Senators like Bail Organa have likewise remained in their places, pretending to go along with the Empire but secretly working against it. We've set up a few refuges, places where Force-sensitives and their allies can hide, but the danger grows every day." He turned to glance at Anakin. "I'd come to Tatooine to see about creating a new hiding place, but instead I find one has already been established. How long have you been here?"

"Since the start of this whole mess," Padme answered quietly. "Anakin came to get me as soon as he found out what was going on, and we left Coruscant just before Palpatine could set up his blockade. The twins were born on our way here."

Obi-wan's eyes narrowed at that, and he once again sent a look at his former student. Anakin matched it, reaching out to catch Padme's hand in his own.

"We've been married since the Clone Wars began, Obi-wan." He said softly, but firmly. "This is not the time or the place for a lecture on attachments."

The older Jedi sighed. "I could see that the twins were a bit too big to have been born since the rise of the Empire. And in all honesty, Anakin, I've grown tired of constantly preaching the Order's rules at you - clearly, it did little good anyway."

"I wouldn't say that. Without your preaching I never would've remembered all that stuff to say to Snips." Despite his teasing tone, the man's face was tinged with grief, and his hand tightened its grip on Padme's.

Obi-wan blinked. "Anakin... Ahsoka is alive, too."

Her son's head snapped up, causing Shmi to look at him curiously. "Ahsoka... Tano? Your Padawan, Ani?"

"Y-yeah, her! Obi-wan, you're _sure_ she's alive? And alright?"

"Oh yes, I've spoken with her in person many times."

"Where is she?"

"Onderaan. She runs a secret refuge there for clone defectors."

Anakin's eyes lit up. "The troopers aren't staying with Palpatine?"

"Most are, but not all. I'm happy to say a majority of the five hundred and first and two hundred and twelfth were among the first to desert the Imperial Stormtroopers."

"That's great!" In a flash, Anakin had jumped to his feet and hugged his mentor, catching the bearded Jedi by surprise for the second time that evening. He then started to hug the others in his excitement, only to pause as a thought manifested. "Wait a second. Did you say Onderaan?"

"Yes."

"Where that wimpy little runt Lux Bonteri is Senator?"

"He's apparently the one who convinced their king to sanction the refuge." Anakin started to growl in the back of his throat, only for Padme to slap his arm with a frown.

"Ani, if he's helped Ahsoka and the clones, then you are not allowed to think ill thoughts of that young man." She informed him sternly.

"Not even one or two?"

"No. It's good practice, for when Leia comes of age to start being interested in boys."

Anakin gave his wife a look of deep horror that sent everyone else in the room to laughter.

 _A/N: Sorry 'bout the sudden slow-down of updates, folks. I spent last Friday ad Saturday making the thousand mile drive home in order to spend the break with my family - only to promptly be put to work on my mom's farm. Yet again. Add to that the fact that we don't have internet at our house, and I'm rather hard-pressed to find enough time to get away in order to go online with the free (yet very slow) wifi at the local library._

 _Anywho, I'll be back at college by next Sunday, and I promise to post another chapter that evening. Hope my fellow Americans enjoy their Thanksgiving holiday, and to everyone else, have a great week!_

 _-Triscribe_


	31. 30:Unexpected Encounter, Part 3

Chapter 30 - Unexpected Encounter, Part 3

(Summary: "What is your name, youngling?" Maketh tried to make the question as soft and unthreatening as possible. "...Ezra." "And how old are you, Ezra? Six?" "'m seven.")

 _(Takes place five years after Part 2)_

Everyone in the room turned towards the doorway when Agent Kallus finally entered, his head bowed. When the man looked up, his eyes first went to Maketh, and she found her pulse quickening at his pained expression. Then he switched to Grand Moff Tarkin, and grit his teeth. "Sir. We've caught the spy."

Behind him, the familiar tromp of stormtrooper boots approached, with a lighter tread almost completely hidden beneath them. Kallus stepped to one side as his men entered with the prisoner.

Maketh's heart nearly stopped.

Ezra was standing tall, his face set into a familiar, defiant scowl - but it faded the instant he caught sight of Maketh staring at him with horror.

"He'd just finished transmitting the plans to an unknown location when we caught up to him, sir." Kallus spoke the words slowly, haltingly, not at all like his usual stoic self.

"I see." Tarkin sauntered up to the youth, looking him up and down. "Who are you, boy? What do you have to say for yourself?"

"He's my ward..." The Grand Moff spun about to stare at Maketh, finally taking note of her paleness.

"Excuse me, Minister?"

She swallowed, and said it again, louder. "He's my ward, Grand Moff. Ezra."

"Ezra what?"

"Ezra _Bridger_." The youth's snarled answer had Tarkin spinning back around again. "My parents were Ephraim and Mira Bridger - arrested and locked away because they were brave enough to stand up to you tyrants." He glared at the Grand Moff, jaw jutting out and eyes flashing.

Tarkin's own gaze narrowed. "Well then. This one is clearly a rebel even in his blood. Agent Kallus, I want an interrogation chamber prepared, so that we might extract whatever secrets this one is hiding before his execution-"

"Sir!" Maketh blurted out, calling attention to herself once again. "He's only fifteen-"

"That does not mean he is unaware of where the insurgents are hiding, or where they will next appear. I am sorry you've been betrayed in this manner, Minister, but I will go easy on no rebel."

"But- but after questioning, shouldn't he go t-to a, a correctional facility?" She was grasping at straws and knew it. Tarkin knew it as well, and glared at her.

"Minister Tua... Are you possibly suggesting that you care more about the life of this traitor than the well-being of our Empire?"

Even as she opened her mouth, Maketh knew the answer that would come out. And she couldn't find it in herself to regret it for anything.

"Yes. I do."

Tarkin glowered. "Troopers! Arrest the Minister. Take both her and the rebel she's raised to the interrogation cells." Maketh's arms were seized in iron grips, and as the stormtroopers started to march her towards the door her eyes sought out Ezra's.

The boy smiled weakly. "It's okay, Mom. You tried." He wasn't able to say anymore as his own guards yanked the youth around. Maketh tried to respond, tried to say something before her youngling was taken away forever-

Everything exploded into smoke.

 _A/N: Don't you folks just love my cliffhangers?_

 _Well, I'd planned on being back at my college campus by now, but instead I'm uploading this chapter to you from a cafe on the side of the highway, where I've been for several hours now thanks to loosing control of my truck on the snowy road and rolling it. I'm fine, if a bit stiff and sore, and the puppy truck technically can run just fine - it just so happens that both my lefthand tires are blown, my rearview mirrors were both snapped off, and the camper shell on the back is completely demolished (I had fun traipsing around in the snow gathering up my scattered belongings, including a basket of previously clean laundry)._

 _Anyway, I'm stuck in a little town waiting for my roommate to drive down to come pick me up, so I'll be back at my dorm by tonight and able to attend class tomorrow... Provided, of course, it doesn't turn out I really do have a concussion... Then all bets are off._

 _I do promise to try and update every day this week, so we can clear up some of the cliffhangers and finish off a few plots, though if I miss a day I'll make it up with a double-posting as soon as possible. Hope you all had a better return to your normal lives from the holiday than I did!_

 _-Tri_


	32. 31:Family Bonds are Strongest, Part 5

Chapter 31 - Family Bonds are Strongest, Part 5

(Summary:When Ahsoka walked away from the Jedi Order, so did Anakin.)

 _Takes place the night after Part 4_

Breaking into the prison complex with just Ahsoka at his side while their other allies waited nearby meant Anakin had to forego a lot of his preferred tactics, instead remaining as stealthy as possible. Inevitably, though, an alarm was triggered, and the pair entered a race against time.

Finally, with help from the schematics stolen by Artoo, they arrived at a cell in the prison's highest security wing, something Anakin thought was overkill for a Senator.

Unless someone suspected a couple of highly skilled ex-Jedi would be coming to break her out.

Pushing that unpleasant thought away for the meantime, Anakin opened the door and darted inside while Ahsoka kept watch. Within the cell, his wife was laying still on a metal table, hair loose and disheveled, garbed in a prisoner's uniform with only a thin grey blanket for warmth. Growling internally at the cuffs that kept her secured in place, Anakin gently tried to wake her up.

"Padme? Padme, Angel, it's me, Anakin."

"...Ani?" Panic flared as his wife's eyes fluttered, far too reminiscent of how he found his mother years before. Anakin swiftly undid her restraints and lifted the small woman into his arms.

That was when the blanket slipped.

When he registered just _how_ small she once again was.

"Padme... Where's the baby?" The small, hiccuping sob she let out was not reassuring in the slightest. "Angel, answer me. Did they take the baby? Or is it somewhere safe?"

"No... No, not safe," Padme murmured, struggling to stay conscious. "They, they knocked me out, here. They took- Ani, they took the baby!"

"Alright, easy now, I'll find our child. I promise, Padme, I won't leave without the baby, I swear it." Hurrying from the cell, he called for Ahsoka. The Togruta appeared almost instantly, trying and failing to keep the concern from her face. She wasn't able to carry Padme the same way that Anakin could, but still pulled the woman's arm over her shoulder and started off down the hall.

Anakin, meanwhile, reached out with the Force, searching for a life form he _knew_ he ought to be able to sense. And sure enough, in a room two corridors over, something felt his touch and latched on. Running as fast as was possible, Anakin careened down the halls and corners, desperation lending him strength. Soon enough he arrived at the room in question and palmed open the door.

Inside was a counter top full of tools and equipment, with a few life support machines. On the lone table, though, was a single item. A cradle.

Suddenly cautious, Anakin approached and peered down. A tiny, scrunched up pink face was sleeping fitfully, swaddled with crisp white linen. There was already a tuft of light brown hair, which Anakin figured would darken over time to match her mother's.

And it was a girl - he could sense that much now, standing over her. His left hand reached down, almost of its own accord, to brush over the infant's downy cheek.

This was his daughter. His own flesh and blood.

A nearby explosion, courtesy of Rex and some of the other boys, prompted Anakin back to action. He scooped up the still slumbering baby, and turned to leave.


	33. 32:Fellow Padawans, Part 2

Chapter 32 - Fellows Padawans, Part 2

(Summary: Hera sighed, gesturing towards the weathered old man and a blonde teenager who looked to be Ezra's age. "Guys, these are Obi-wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker. And they need somewhere to hide for a while.")

 _Takes place later in the same day as Part 1_

There were, of course, some needed re-shufflings aboard the _Ghost._ When the younger crew members were informed of their new guests, half a dozen ideas for room arrangements were promptly suggested and almost immediately tossed out again (some as ridiculous as having Sabine move into Hera's quarters or putting a spare cot in Ezra and Zeb's room for the new kid, while others were more of the teasing variety, such as getting _Kanan_ to move in with Hera). Eventually, though, by the time Master Kenobi and his charge arrived, it had been decided that Kanan would share his quarters with the older Jedi, while a small storage room the next hall over would be cleared out for Luke to sleep in.

And yet, that particular arrangement only lasted a single night.

Obi-wan, Kanan and Ezra were all awoken in the early hours of the morning by the Force shuddering from the strength of Luke's nightmare. Master and Padawan hovered uncertainly in the hall while Kenobi went into the room to help his charge, after which none of them got any more sleep. Kanan and Obi-wan went to discuss what new shuffling could be done so that the Skywalker boy wouldn't be alone, while Ezra led Luke to the kitchen and got him something to drink.

"So... Do you, I dunno, want to talk about it?" He asked uncertainly. While the Lothal native hadn't had anyone ask about his own nightmares in a long time, there was the vague memory of his mother saying similar words when he was a child.

"I keep seeing them die," Luke answered softly after a moment. "W-when the stormtroopers came, I wasn't at home, but I keep dreaming about how they killed my aunt and uncle."

"I'm sorry."

Luke just shrugged, accepting the sympathy but not looking terribly comforted by it. Biting his lip, Ezra sat at the table beside his new - friend? Fellow Padawan? - acquaintance, and made a decision he'd often shied away from.

"I was seven when the Empire took away my parents..."

It took a while, but eventually he was able to cover all the important events between losing his family and winding up a member of the _Ghost_ crew, Luke listening with awe the entire time. When Ezra finally finished, the other boy was staring at him.

"...How did you avoid going insane through all that?" He finally asked.

This time it was Ezra's turn to shrug. "No idea. Probably the Force helping me stay positive, even before I knew what it was." He nudged Luke's shoulder. "Come on now, your turn."

And so, the blonde teen hesitantly started explaining about his previous life on the Lars moisture farm, until the day he signed up for a short Imperial-sponsored piloting tournament on a dare from his friends. Winning by a huge margin was what got Luke's name entered in the system, where it apparently caught the attention of Darth Vader himself.

"I still don't know what to make of it all," he said miserably. "I mean, all of it coming out at once - that my father was actually a Jedi Knight, and that Ben was the one to teach him, and then later brought me to my aunt and uncle when I was a baby in order to keep me safe from Vader and the Empire, who apparently would all really like to see me dead!" Luke's shoulders slumped again. "I don't know what to make of any of it. Let alone all the lies."

Ezra remained silent beside him for a few moments, mulling over how to proceed. "Well... You know what I think?"

"What?"

"That you were pretty awfully lucky to have someone who cared enough about your well-being to make sure you were taken care of and protected after your folks died. _I_ sure didn't have that advantage."

"I'm sorry," the other boy said softly. Ezra shrugged.

"I survived. And even better, now I've got Kanan and Hera and the others for family. And _you've_ got Obi-wan, and probably Ahsoka, and us too. You don't have to be alone, Luke."

"...Thanks, Ezra."

"Don't mention it."


	34. 33:Quintet, Part 3

Chapter 33 - Quintet, Part 3

(Summary: _*Extraction Squad Alpha to Captain Rex.*_ "Rex here. Report?" _*We have the Senator, sir, but, uh- she's gone into labor.*_ "...Understood. Get her onto a transport as quickly as possible, but safely - no harm is to come to General Skywalker's wife or their child, understood?")

 _Takes place a year after Part 2._

"And then, the gunships came down into the arena, firing on all the droids and Geonosians," Anakin grinned as he continued to lower his voice, gently stroking the drowsy Jinni's hair. "And Daddy helped Mommy into one, followed by Uncle Obi, before they took off again, and everyone made it out of the battle alive." As the four year old finally slipped away into sleep, her father finished up his narrative by pressing a quick kiss to her forehead. Then, Anakin silently left the bedroom, eager for some rest of his own.

Padme met him in the main sitting room of their quarters, smirking as she handed over a mug of tea. "How many stories did it take this time?"

"Only six, but they were all longer ones." He let loose a jaw-cracking yawn, idly wondering why so much effort had to go into just getting a single child to sleep. "Is it just me, or did the twins always drop off more easily than this?"

"It's just you, dear."

"Ah."

With that matter clarified, Anakin dropped onto the sofa, pulling Padme down after him. As soon as they'd each finished off their tea, the couple didn't even bother returning to their own bedroom - they simply curled up around one another right there. With Jinni asleep, the twins having a sleepover with Ezra, and Ahsoka stationed as base's the night-shift Jedi, they had no more responsibilities to keep them from some well-deserved shut eye.

So of course, Anakin found himself caught up in a Force vision.

" _We can't go back," said a girl who looked just like Padme had when Anakin first met her._

" _What?" A boy the same age but with darker hair and skin demanded. One of his hands was gripping an inactive lightsaber, while the other was clenched in a tight fist. "Our families are back there!"_

" _They're bound to have escaped by now, you know that-"_

" _No I don't, and neither do you! That weird bomb threw off the Force in this entire system, we don't know if they're still there or if they got away or- or-"_

" _They aren't dead," a third voice broke into the conversation. Both teens turned to face another boy, this one with blonde hair, who had a hand pressed against his bloody side. "They aren't. We can't- give up- hope-" With that, he dropped to his knees with a pained groan, prompting both the others to leap forward in concern._

" _Luke-!"_

"Anakin!" Flinching as he opened his eyes, Anakin's eyes immediately found Padme's panicked gaze. And then he registered the blaring alarms.


	35. 34:Peas in a Pod, Part 3

Chapter 34 - Peas in a Pod, Part 3

(Summary: "We started off transmitting illegal broadcasts. Then General Skywalker sent Kanan to us, to protect Ezra. Now we're living on a rebel base, letting both our boys train with the Force, and helping out with missions against the Empire." Ephraim kissed his wife. "Mira, dear, how did our lives completely turn around in just four years?" "Haven't the foggiest, love.")

 _Takes place the same night as Quintet Part 3._

"Can you believe any of it?"

"Believe what, dear?" Mira peered through the darkness of their bedroom, to see the outline of her husband's face where he laid beside her.

"We started off transmitting illegal broadcasts. Then General Skywalker sent Kanan to us, to protect Ezra. Now we're living on a rebel base, letting both our boys train with the Force, and helping out with missions against the Empire." Ephraim leaned over to kiss his wife. "Mira, dear, how did our lives completely turn around in just four years?"

"Haven't the foggiest, love." She might not understand it, but the woman was exceedingly grateful for all that their life had changed. Their transmissions on Lothal had been important, but Ezra and Phirim were more so. The widespread rebellion was gaining ground, and needed workers and operatives from all walks of life, including technicians, which allowed the Bridgers to all stay together on one base; arguably the safest one the Alliance had, considering that the Skywalkers also made their home within it.

-P-

The attack came out of nowhere.

Stormtroopers emerged from the woods around the base, opening fire and damaging most of the defenses before anyone knew they were there. Ties descended from the cloudy sky, shooting at all buildings even as the shield generators went up.

Kanan had been in his room aboard the _Ghost_ when the Force started screaming at him, warning of danger. He was quick to wake up Hera and their recent recruit, a Lasat by the name of Garazeb Orrelios. All three hurried out of the ship, weapons at the ready, to find a battlefield.

"What's the plan, Kanan?" Hera demanded as they began firing at the white figures visible through the smoke.

"We've got to get to the main dormitory!" He shouted back, lightsaber springing to life with an electric hum. "The Bridgers need help!" And the Jedi knew it for fact, too - Ezra was reaching for him through the Force, blasting Kanan with his panic and terror.

"I'll make a path, then," was all the warning they got, before Zeb charged forward with a roar, smashing aside stormtroopers and burning debris alike with his Bo Rifle. Glad once again to have the Lasat on their side, Kanan and Hera hurried after him, only briefly acknowledging other Rebels as they encountered them. While most were still trying to figure out what was going on, others had immediately lept into action - Kanan spotted Ahsoka at one point, dashing towards the attackers with both lightsabers held ready, a group of clone troopers right behind her. A few other Clone War veterans were also rallying the rest of the rebels, directing fighters to the frontline and civilians to the evacuation ships.

While the shields overhead were keeping the Tie fighters from raining down anymore death, their initial run had already caused enough destruction. Several buildings, including the main dorm, were alight with flames, and Kanan's heart jumped into his throat when he realized that the entire first level was inaccessible. He cursed himself for not agreeing to Mira and Ephraim's offer to stay in their family quarters with them, which would have made getting to the Bridgers so much simpler.

"Kanan, there!" Hera gestured to a gaping hole in the wall, stretching up through all three levels and out of which an oddly shaped figure was jumping. As they got closer, Kanan realized it was General Skywalker, carrying his soot-stained wife and youngest child.

He didn't bother to slow and speak to them, instead using a Force-propelled leap to get himself to the third floor. Confident that Hera would be able to explain, the Jedi hurried in the direction Ezra was calling to him from, dodging falling debris as he went.

When Kanan reached the correct door, he kicked it down, charging inside the smoke-filled room. With the guidance of the Force, he found not only the shell-shocked Ezra with Phirim clutched to his chest, but Luke and Leia as well, all four children huddled in a far corner. Unsurprisingly, the twins' father arrived behind him only a minute later, gratefully scooping up the pair of seven year olds.

"Back the- *cough* way we came?" Kanan asked.

"No time!" With that, Anakin shoved outward with the Force, creating a new opening in the outer wall. He and Kanan then lept out, landing easily despite the precious cargo taking up their arms.

Unfortunately, while the twins were happy to be taken to reunite with their mother and little sister, Ezra promptly began to struggle in Kanan's arms, unable to articulate the source of his distress. Words didn't sooth him, and as Hera came running up the Jedi was forced to hand the wailing Phirim over to her so he could hold onto Ezra with both hands.

"Go back!" The boy was finally able to get out, eyes riveted on the opening they'd jumped out of just moments before. "Momma! Daddy!"

It was the scream that suddenly caused Kanan to freeze in place, his mind recalling a dream he'd had only the year before, just after leaving Lothal with the Bridger family.

The family of four which had suddenly become two.

As Zeb reached them, Kanan turned to look at Hera, and silently shake his head in answer to her unspoken question. With Ezra protesting and Phirim still crying, the group headed away from the burning dormitory, back to their ship and away from the death unleashed by the Empire's attack.


	36. 35:Fellow Padawans, Part 3

Chapter 35 - Fellow Padawans, Part 3

(Summary: Hera sighed, gesturing towards the weathered old man and a blonde teenager who looked to be Ezra's age. "Guys, these are Obi-wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker. And they need somewhere to hide for a while.")

 _Takes place a few weeks after Part 2._

Once the sleeping arrangements had been sorted out, things went remarkably smoothly aboard the _Ghost._ Ezra volunteered to switch to being Luke's roommate, which made the other boy extremely grateful (and Zeb more than a little gleeful to have his quarters back to himself). They set up a pair of bunkbeds, plus several shelves high up so as to take up as little floor space as possible, and got Sabine's help decorating. The ceiling soon found itself painted with a variety of explosions set against a starry sky, while the wall opposite the beds came to resemble a Tatooine dual sunset. Luke not only got a fair amount of comfort from the images, but also had a great time actually creating them and bonding with the other teens at the same time.

The following weeks saw dual training sessions between the pair of older Jedi and their Padawans, from meditation to Force-manipulation practice to sparring matches. As he was still getting used to using his father's old lightsaber, Luke had to take that last one a bit slowly, but got the hang of meditation so fast it sparked a bit of envy in Ezra.

"Don't worry, it bugs me too," Kanan shared with him once, when it was just to two of them in the kitchen. "I had to work hard as a kid to get the knack of meditating. Come to think of it, the elder Skywalker supposedly did too..." He paused for a few moments, considering. "Makes me wonder who Luke's mother must have been, if he takes more after her than his dad."

Aside from settling to two newcomers in, there wasn't much for the _Ghost_ crew to occupy themselves with. Ahsoka hadn't sent them any missions, desiring to try and keep Kenobi and the young Skywalker out of harm's way. The couple of times she did call were to ask how the pair were doing, and the inform Hera that she was still searching for a good hiding place for them. Assurances were made that both the Jedi and his charge were fine, and that they were welcome to stay as long as needed.

Then, there came an assignment that Ahsoka needed completed, and thought was safe enough to ask the Spectres to do the completing.

"We need more help if we're to make headway in the Outer Rim," she explained over the comm line. "There's someone I knew once who could make for a powerful ally, but I haven't been able to get in touch with him. Your team is closest to his last known position, so I want you to see about locating him."

"What about our, guests?" Kanan asked.

"I think, it might actually be in your favor to have them along on this mission..."

And that was how the members of the _Ghost_ crew found themselves heading for the Seelos system.


	37. 36:Unexpected Encounter, Part 4

Chapter 36 - Unexpected Encounter, Part 4

(Summary: "What is your name, youngling?" Maketh tried to make the question as soft and unthreatening as possible. "...Ezra." "And how old are you, Ezra? Six?" "'m seven.")

 _Takes place immediately after Part 3_

 _Everything exploded into smoke._

Maketh gasped, stumbling as the troopers holding her suddenly collapsed. She staggered in the direction she'd last seen Ezra, but only made it a few steps before something huge loomed out of the smoke beside her.

"'Scuse me, Minister." Large hands scooped her up, and Maketh couldn't contain a squeak as she was suddenly carried from the room at a high speed. Once outside and free from the smoke, she was able to identify her rescuer as the Lasat member of the rebel crew who'd become so troublesome on Lothal.

"Ezra- my boy-"

"He's fine, Minister, Spectre Five's got the kid. We'll meet them at the rendezvous with Spectre 2." Maketh started to object, but the words were replaced with a shriek when the Lasat jumped from the balcony to a nearby rooftop. They continued onwards in the same fashion for a few blocks, until finally stopping on a warehouse, where the Lasat set her down. As Maketh tried to bring her racing heart down to a healthy speed, she scanned the skies back towards Imperial headquarters. The smoke had begun to dissipate into the open air, as official transports and Tie fighters converged on the site.

"Oh dear..."

"Ride's here, ma'am." Her rescuer's words got the woman's attention, and she turned in time to see the now-familiar Corellian freighter coming around to their location. The Lasat picked her up again, and leapt from the rooftop to the ship's extended ramp. This time, Maketh managed to keep from crying out, but only because she was entirely focused on one of the figures already waiting inside.

The instant her feet were back on solid metal, she started towards Ezra. He only let her get two steps before dashing forward himself, plowing into the woman and wrapping his arms around her midsection. Neither spoke, merely held on and shook with relief. The rebels left them to it, jumping off to their usual stations in order to complete the escape.

"I'm sorry," Ezra finally murmured. "I didn't think- you've never- I'm so sorry-"

"Shh, sh, it's alright. I'm not- not upset." Maketh pulled back a little bit to smile down at him, blinking back the tears that had begun to form. "An Empire that would willingly torture and execute a fifteen year old is not one I want to serve. Let alone when that fifteen year old belongs to me."

Ezra tried to choke out a laugh, and wound up just burrowing back into another hug.

Eventually, the Jedi leader of the crew came to get them, showing first Maketh and then her boy to the 'fresher, followed by a quick tour of the ship. Ezra ended up staying in the cockpit, helping the astromech sort out which information transmitted from Imperial headquarters needed to be sent off straightaway to someone by the name of Fulcrum. Maketh ignored this, instead following Kanan, as the Jedi insisted she call him by his first name, to the guest room where a bunk had been made up for her.

The woman laid down, muddling through her mess of thoughts and emotions. It was a hard thing, dealing with first a betrayal by one she'd raised as a son for eight years, and then her superiors, the very Empire she'd dedicated her adult life to serving. Friends had become enemies, enemies had become allies, and Maketh had absolutely no idea how to proceed with her life.


	38. 37:From the Forge, Part 1

Chapter 37 - From the Forge, Part 1

(Summary: Rebels spin-off to Family Bonds are Strongest, in which both Depa Billaba and her student Caleb Dume escape the Purge, courtesy of their microchip-free and still-loyal clone troopers...)

After a good night, spent catching up with General Billaba and getting to know her new Padawan learner, both Grey and Styles were ready to get back to some serious business. Not the War, although that was the second most serious thing in their lives at the moment - no, the pair had more personal mission on their agenda, to complete before the Jedi got up in the morning.

"Suggestions for a starting place, Big Mouth?" Styles muttered as he pulled on his armor.

"Yeah, I'd go with the newest shiny - one one five seven. Speaks just as highly of General Ti as the other boys, but he gets a look in his eye when he does, something that tells me he'll be more receptive to our message." The corporal checked his blaster, continuing to speak under his breath. "After that, I'd move onto the pair, two three six four and two three six five - they transferred in from a group that had some training with a member of the Wolfpack..."

After getting all of Big Mouth's recommendations, Styles brought the info back to Grey, who nodded as he took it all in. Then the Commander called for CT-1157, and ordered him to go inform General Billaba that they were ready to roll out.

The list was only a starting place, clones who would be watched closely to decide whether they could be brought in on the secret or not. Grey had Big Mouth keep 1157 on a short leash, both to make sure the kid stayed out of trouble and to see how he interacted with the Jedi.

Sharing a laugh with the small Padawan, Caleb Dume, was a point on 1157's favor.

Defending his unconscious body in the following battle, against orders, was promising enough for Grey to make his decision.

"Thought I might find you here," the Commander smiled as he entered the medical bay. 1157, or Stance as he'd been named, looked up a bit sheepishly. The young trooper was sitting beside Dume's bacta tank, cleaning his weapon while keeping an eye on his friend. "Doc droids know when he'll be coming out?"

"Should be sometime tomorrow morning. Did you need something, sir?" Stance asked, scrambling to his feet.

"Yes, but you can stay at ease, kid." Taking his own advice, Grey found a comfortable spot on the nearby console to lean against, studying Dume for a moment. The boy's short brown hair waved in the gentle currents of the tank, occasionally dropping low to obscure his closed eyes. Bandages covered his blaster wounds, though the irritated red skin was still visible around them.

"Who was your main combat trainer at Kamino?" Grey asked without preamble.

Stance blinked in response. "Jeshru G'nilk, hired bounty hunter."

"Good, he's one of the ones on our side." He held up a hand to stall the incoming questions. "You've been given the hints about Sixty-six, then? Tell me what you know."

"Only that it's apparently some kind of command hardwired into our brains, sir."

"Hardwired into a biochip that's in our brains, you mean." Grey paused. "Or at least, is in _most_ of our brains."

"Most, sir?"

"Some of us have had those biochips removed, so that when Order Sixty-six is given out, we don't have to obey it like droids."

Stance looked more than a little alarmed at that.

"Wh- sir, what _is_ Order Sixty-six?"

"A command to execute any and all Jedi with extreme prejudice, no matter age or skill level, under the assumption that they have turned against the Republic." Grey couldn't help the slight, grim smile at Stance's gobsmacked expression. "An assumption that quite a few of us think would be outright false if ever made."

"But, why...?"

"Why would the Jedi turn against us? Simple, we don't think they would. Why would such a command be forced upon our minds? Whoever ordered it placed there knew we would question it or outright disobey if such an order was delivered normally. Why am I telling you all this?" He gestured to the bacta tank, where young Caleb Dume was floating harmlessly, recovering from wounds sustained while fighting alongside his Master's troops. "I think you can figure out that last one for yourself, kid."

Stance turned slightly to stare at his small friend, barely a teenager and new to the realm of warfare, before looking back at Grey with a determined glint in his eye. "How do I get this chip out?"


	39. 38:Fellow Padawans, Part 4

Chapter 38 - Fellow Padawans, Part 4

(Summary: Hera sighed, gesturing towards the weathered old man and a blonde teenager who looked to be Ezra's age. "Guys, these are Obi-wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker. And they need somewhere to hide for a while.")

 _Takes place a day or two after Part 3._

The old Republic battle tank strolling through the desert, decked out as a combined home and fortress, was... oddly impressive, to say the least.

The half a dozen white-haired clone troopers living aboard it were even more so.

At first, Kanan's paranoid defensive action nearly got them all shot, but that was before Obi-wan stepped forward and called out to one clone in particular. "I'd rather appreciate if you weren't so quick to open fire on me again, Cody."

"General...? By the stars, it's General Kenobi! Stand down, troopers!" The clone who'd spoken was grinning widely, while the others ranged between hopeful and wary. "What in blazes are you doing all the way out here?"

"Apparently, Ahsoka got word some of you were this planet, and sent these fine people along to track you down. I, other the other hand, have merely been a guest aboard their ship for a month now, along with my charge. Might we come aboard?"

"Of course, sir!"

As soon as the seven space-goers had clambered up a ladder to the main deck, introductions were passed around. "My name is Cody, former Commander of the two hundred and twelfth Clone Battalion, which served under the General here. This is my longtime friend Captain Rex, of the five hundred and first; Commander Wolffe, of the one hundred and fourth; Commando Gregor, of my battalion, our medic Kix, of Rex's, and Sergeant Soot, of the-"

"Seven oh fifth." Kanan interrupted in a flat tone, glaring at the final clone to be introduced. "Master Billaba's battalion."

Soot blinked, but while the others looked confused he gained an expression of understanding, followed by a sad smile. "Commander Dume. It's good to see that you got away after all."

Ezra glanced between his scowling Master and the clone trooper. "Uh, Kanan?"

"Caleb Dume doesn't exist anymore," the older Jedi stated, crossing his arms, before turning to stare down the clones as a whole again. "My name is Kanan Jarrus. This is Ezra Bridger, my Padawan; our Captain and pilot Hera Syndulla; Zeb Orrelios, Sabine Wren; Master Kenobi you know, and his student Luke Skywalker."

Most of the old troopers jerked in surprise at the final introduction, none more so than Rex, who looked as though he'd been walloped by a heavy durasteel pipe.

Obi-wan promptly sighed. "It seems I need to do some explaining..."

While the eldest Jedi started his story, with Hera and Kanan sticking close, a couple of the clones stepped away in order more closely inspect their other guests. Gregor got a slightly manic gleam in his eye upon looking over Zeb, which Soot was quick to notice.

"Make sure to at least _ask_ first, Gregor..."

"Ask what?" The Lasat asked, gazing flicking between the two suspiciously.

"Well, it's just, I wonder, as long as you're here, if you wouldn't mind helping us out with a bit of hunting..."

As it turned out, Gregor was more interested in using Zeb as bait than anything else, something that Kanan took quite personally once the following battle with the huge Joopa Worm was finished. Hera managed to calm him down, though, and then the Lasat himself said it was alright, even claiming that they ought to stay for dinner after such a pulse-pounding event.

And what a dinner it was - all the clones eager to recite stories about the War to a new audience, trying to block out the undercurrent of tension that still filled the room, and of course Hera making her recruitment offer on behalf of the rebellion.

Which, after some discussion amongst themselves, all six troopers took her up on.


	40. 39:Realm of Darkness, Part 5

Chapter 39 - Realm of Darkness, Part 5

(Summary: He found them when they were four. He began taking them on assignments when they were eight. A decade later, Vader has trained his children to be perfect. The time has come for them to conquer an Empire.)

 _Takes place a few days after Part 1_

"It's an abduction job, Spectre, not an assassination."

For a brief instant, the young woman's shoulders dropped ever so slightly, but then she resumed her position of neutral indifference. "What's the pay?"

"Eighty thousand credits, to each of us, plus expenses." Han replied in the same nonchalant tone, still not entirely sure the amount would be enough to entice the bounty hunter into signing on with him for this mission. Despite being a former member of the Rebellion herself, Spectre had cut ties with the organization a year before, when her crew were all killed.

Idly, Han wondered if he should try bringing them up, see whether or not he could spin this as a job that would honor her fallen friends. Then he glanced over the black and red armor, the painted skulls and similar decorations, and decided not to take the chance.

"...Alright," Spectre finally responded, standing from her spot at the table. "Let me get my gear and astromech, and I'll meet you at your ship."

-Darkness-

"These are the Dark Siders who killed Ahsoka Tano?"

Blinking, Han nodded, and the white-haired cyborg beside him at the bar smiled grimly.

"I'm in."

"You don't even know anything about the job details, or the payment-"

"Doesn't matter. I served under Tano in the war."

"You did hear me when I said we're doing an abduction, not-"

"Not an assassination, yeah. That's fine. I want to meet these two, find out how they took the Commander down - figure out if they feel any remorse or not."

Shaking his head at the crazy clone, Han nonetheless slid a datapad over. "Alright then, Echo, these are the specifics. You can read up on them while we're en route to talk to my other interested hunter."

-Darkness-

"It'll be dangerous."

The Kiffar man in the shadows across from him merely smiled - a deadly, feral smile.

"I used to date a woman who was well-learned in the ways of the Sith. I can handle danger."

Han could only blink at that. "Well then, if you're willing..."

His third hunter nodded. "Never let it be said that Quinlan Vos backed down from a challenge."

-Darkness-

Chewbacca rumbled worriedly as Han joined him in the cockpit of the _Falcon_.

"Yeah, I know they're all insane, but what other type of person were we going to agree to a job that's _literally_ kidnapping two out of the top four most powerful Imperials in the galaxy?"

The wookie let out a keen.

"You and me both, buddy. You and me both."

 _A/N: Bit short I'm afraid, but that's cause I'm still figuring out how the different pieces for this particular plotline fit together. On another note, I'm at the end point of my semester, suffering through a nasty cold as final project deadlines approach. Anybody want to wish me luck on making it to Winter Break in one piece?_

 _-Tri_


	41. 40:From the Forge, Part 2

Chapter 40 - From the Forge, Part 2

(Summary: Rebels spin-off to Family Bonds are Strongest, in which both Depa Billaba and her student Caleb Dume escape the Purge, courtesy of their microchip-free and still-loyal clone troopers...)

 _Takes place a couple weeks after Part 1_

Stance had never been more grateful to his battalion's Jedi than when Caleb saved his live on Mygeeto - because if the small boy hadn't Force-pushed him out of the way of that Kage Warrior's attack, the clone knew without a shadow of a doubt that he'd be dead. For that, the kid had nearly died himself, managing only at the last second to cut the fuel line to his opponent's flamethrower. Stance then finished him off with a shot to the head, and the pair took a moment to breathe deeply before joining up with the others again.

But, just as their previous battle on Kardoa left one Jedi recovering in a bacta tank, this latest fight did too. Big Mouth took it upon himself to make sure Caleb got enough to eat and sleep while General Billaba healed from her duel with Grievous, since otherwise, all the troopers were fairly certain the kid would sit beside her tank and not move an inch.

While the Corporal handled that, Stance went with Commander Grey to talk to a couple of his squad mates, CT-2364 and CT-2365, or Charge and Chill as they'd been recently named.

It took a bit of convincing to get them to believe about Order Sixty-Six, but once assured of its inherent danger, the pair were just as eager as Stance had been to get his biochip out. Grey led the three of them to one of the ship's hangar bays, where a small freighter had docked to (supposedly) deliver supplies. Aboard it was also a specialized med bay, where each of the three younger clones took turns being anesthetized and operated on.

Feeling remarkably more at east afterward, Stance and the other two bid their Commander a good night before heading back to their barracks. And along the way, Charge was the one to bring up a question Stance knew wouldn't be long in appearing.

"So... how'd the Commander find out about Order Sixty-Six, anyway?"

"I asked him that same thing, actually. Remember that story from a couple months ago about a five oh first trooper who went off the deep end and attacked the Chancellor?"

"Yeah."

"He never went crazy at all - he was investigating the biochips, trying to figure out what they were for and who'd ordered them planted in our heads." Both the other troopers looked surprised, then thoughtful.

"So," Chill murmured. "Whoever was behind it managed to get to him first, and then came up with a cover story so others wouldn't know the truth?"

"Exactly. Except, he told the five oh first Captain, who passed it along to others he thought were trustworthy, and so on and so forth until, well, here we are."

"Has anyone told the Jedi?"

At that, Stance paused. "...I dunno. Probably, but then it's most likely to only be the Masters and Knights who know." With Caleb's honest face and complete lack of lying or acting ability, he had a hard time believing that the kid knew about Sixty-Six and the threat constantly posed towards him and the General.

"Why isn't everyone told? Not just all us brothers, but the public too?" Charge asked.

"Can you picture how that would go? People would question if it wasn't a good thing to have a failsafe against the Jedi, whether or not one was needed. Trust in them would disappear. Besides, if the Kaminoans and whoever came up with Sixty-Six in the first place knew we were removing the chips, they'd find a way to get us all back under their control. Then there'd be nobody around to protect the Jedi if the order goes out."

They all fell silent after that, faced with unpleasant visions of men with their face and armor shooting at their Jedi: General Billaba, quiet and thoughtful, who sought to know her troops and defend them to the best of her ability, and tiny Caleb, small for his age yet bursting with energy, eager to meet and learn and _live._

If secrecy was what it took to keep them from Death's embrace, then in secrecy would the clones would continue to operate.


	42. 41:Unexpected Encounter, Part 5 (End)

Chapter 41 - Unexpected Encounter, Part 5

(Summary: "What is your name, youngling?" Maketh tried to make the question as soft and unthreatening as possible. "...Ezra." "And how old are you, Ezra? Six?" "'m seven.")

 _Takes place the day after Part 4_

 _Conclusion_

Despite only falling asleep a few hours before, Maketh wasn't surprised when she awoke at her usual time, what would be only an hour after Lothal's dawn. Pulling back on her coat and boots, the woman hesitantly exited the room she'd slept in and wandered around for a bit until she found the kitchen. The ship's pilot, Hera, was already there, brewing herself a cup of caf.

"Happy to share, if you'd like one," she offered.

"Yes, please." Maketh was handed the first cup as soon as it was done, while Hera started making herself a new one. "I- I don't know how to thank you all, for saving myself and my- and Ezra."

"Happy to." The twi'lek smiled at her. "He's been helping our cause for a long time now, and refused to let any of us think of you other than someone who wanted to look after her people."

"I, see," Maketh murmured, taking a sip of her drink.

"You're very lucky to have a boy like him," Hera informed her, her words hardening slightly, which the other woman interpreted as a warning to not push her youngling away after all this. "Anyway, help yourself to anything you find in the cabinets. I've got to get back to the cockpit, make sure no one's messed with things while I was out."

She headed for the door, very nearly walking into Kanan as he entered. The pair exchanged some low words while Maketh found some fruit preserves and a pack of rehydratable bread. Fixing herself a plate, she moved to the main room's table while the Jedi set about preparing his own cup of morning caf. Neither spoke for awhile, until his drink was done and Kanan came to join her.

"There's something you ought to know," he sighed, sinking into a seat across from Maketh where she picked at her breakfast. "I've discussed this with Ezra before, but I doubt he's had time to tell you since last night."

"Tell me what?"

"That he's Force-sensitive."

Maketh's mouth fell open even as her eyes closed. Several conflicting emotions ran through her: shock. Fear. Curiosity. "What- what exactly does that entail?"

"Well, in the first place, I ought to congratulate you on keeping his existence as quiet as you did. It's entirely likely that in doing so, you prevented his being found and taken away by the Emperor's agents, turned into one of them." The horrifying memory of Tarkin having the Inquisitor execute those two officers featured rather prominently for a moment, before she got ahold of herself. "In the second place, I've offered to train him in the ways of the Jedi."

"Does, he want to?"

"I'm still waiting for an answer." Kanan sent her a mild look. "I got the feeling that it was something he didn't want to commit to without speaking with you about it, except, well..."

"I didn't know about his conspiring with rebels until yesterday." Maketh let out a quiet, strained chuckle, rubbing at her eyes.

"You know now." Both adults turned to see Ezra standing in the room's doorway, holding himself awkwardly. "So what do you think?"

Before saying a word, Maketh raised her arm, inviting the youth to come slide into the spot beside her, which he gladly did. "Well. I daresay it won't do anything to make us smaller targets for the authorities to come after."

"About that... Sabine and I have been monitoring Lothal's news network. Tarkin's put out the word that we were 'kidnapped' by rebel agents, and that they might 'force' us to make seditious broadcasts against the Empire."

"Hm. That isn't a half bad idea, actually." Both of them blinked at Kanan, who grinned back. "Well, it won't be the active sabotage that I know you're uncomfortable with, Maketh, and it _will_ be in line with what your original folks did, Ezra. Not to mention, get an alternate take on events out there so that the public can decide which version they believe."

Maketh took a deep breath, and nodded. "Then, I agree. With both the broadcast idea," she paused to ruffle Ezra's hair. " _And_ the Jedi training."

 _A/N: I rather liked this little plot, but it ends here as I don't have any further plans for how to continue._

 _In other news, finals week is finally over! Tomorrow I'm getting a ride to my repaired truck, and then get to start the long drive home. Hopefully I'll be able to update again over the weekend, but we're also getting dangerously close to the end of my pre-written material, and I'd hate to run out of buffer with this story. I'm planning on putting together some exceptionally long chapters in the near future, and want to spread out updates to be reasonably consistent._

 _Well, however I manage it, I can promise we've got some exciting stuff coming up over winter break. Hope you all have a great holiday and come back to see the new content!_

 _-Tri_


	43. 42:From the Forge, Part 3

Chapter 42 - From the Forge, Part 3

(Summary: Rebels spin-off to Family Bonds are Strongest, in which both Depa Billaba and her student Caleb Dume escape the Purge, courtesy of their microchip-free and still-loyal clone troopers...)

 _Takes place within weeks after Part 2_

*Execute Order Sixty-Six.*

As the scratchy voice came over his comm line, Stance froze. Around him, his brothers did the same, as they all took a moment to interpret the instruction from Chancellor Palpatine himself.

Then, the camp was divided in two.

A majority of the troopers grabbed up their blasters and readied themselves to begin firing at the pair of Jedi seated by one of the fires. Others among them set their weapons for stun, and immediately began taking out their closest brothers.

General Billaba, it would seem, _had_ been aware of Order Sixty-Six, as all Grey had to do was shout the number before the woman grabbed her bewildered padawan and fled. Stance was glad to see them go, painfully aware that with the numbers stacked as they were, he and the other free-thinking troopers wouldn't be able to hold the line for long.

Beside him, Charge was hit in the stomach and dropped to one knee with a grunt. Chill came dashing up, catching his batch-brother and helping him back to where Grey, Styles, Soot, Big-Mouth and the rest on their side were preparing to get themselves out of the camp as well. Stance kept his retreat even-paced, giving the others as much time as possible, before a grenade thrown by one of his brainwashed brothers forced the clone to run.

The following explosion threw him off his feet, but even as Stance was getting back up Soot pulled alongside him on a speeder, catching the younger clone by an arm and hauling him onto the rear seat. Then they were off, in a group of perhaps twenty troopers, heading around to the far side of the ridge General Billaba and Caleb had vanished over.

Even with Force-enhanced speed, the pair of Jedi hadn't managed to run very far yet, and it was only a few minutes before the group caught up to them. Without a word, the General practically threw Caleb onto the same speeder as Stance and Soot , before she herself joined single-rider Styles. Both maneuvers had been done without the vehicles slowing down, allowing them to maintain speed away from the pursuing troopers.

"Stance, what's going on? What's happening?" Glancing down at the kid awkwardly seated between himself and Soot, the young clone winced when he saw how terrified his friend was.

"Long story, Caleb, but I promise we'll explain once we've gotten somewhere defensible." He didn't bother to say _somewhere safe,_ because for Jedi-harboring clones, there might not be any place like that - certainly not on Kaller, maybe not in any inhabited system at all - and defensible was the best he could offer.

Keeping Caleb pressed close between his chest and Soot's back, Stance did his best to try and offer the kid some semblance of comfort as they fled, as the little Jedi periodically cried out, tears flowing from eyes that were distantly observing whatever other horrors were going on through the galaxy.

Because, while there were clones who'd had their chips removed, there were plenty more who hadn't...


	44. 43:Family Bonds are Strongest, Part 6

Chapter 43 - Family Bonds are Strongest, Part 6

(Summary: When Ahsoka walked away from the Jedi Order, so did Anakin.)

 _Immediately follows Part 5_

 _And it was a girl - he could sense that much now, standing over her. His left hand reached down, almost of its own accord, to brush over the infant's downy cheek._

 _This was his daughter. His own flesh and blood._

 _A nearby explosion, courtesy of Rex and some of the other boys, prompted Anakin back to action. He scooped up the still slumbering baby, and turned to leave._

Only three steps down the hall, though, Anakin's daughter woke up and whimpered. Shushing her did nothing as they continued down the corridor, and at the corner she let loose a bawling cry.

Anakin cringed at the noise, already envisioning nights full of such a sound. Then he froze, as from down the hall there was an answering cry, and a second signature brushed against his in the Force.

 _Another baby._

 _A son._

Almost faster than he'd burst into the room where his daughter was being held, Anakin hurried to the other chamber, which was nearly identical to the first - counter top covered with equipment, lone table holding a single cradle. Inside was another newborn, just the same as his twin except for the tuft of blonde hair. Both infants calmed considerably as they were brought closer together, convincing Anakin even more than he already was that this was his second child.

"It's alright, little ones," he murmured, calling on the Force a little bit to help him get the babies arranged in his arms. "Daddy's here. And soon we'll all be _out_ of here, too, back to Mommy. How's that sound to you guys?" Neither infant responded to him, of course, but they were quiet and content as Anakin hurried back through the halls.

He could hear the distant shouting of guards, and poured on more speed, knowing that he couldn't risk combat with the newborns in his arms. Even as the Jedi got closer and closer to the exit, though, he could sense someone else incoming - a presence in the Force so deeply shrouded in the Dark Side it was sickening.

Distracted by the approaching Sith, Anakin rounded a corner without first checking to make sure it was clear, and promptly had to duck. Colonel Wilhuff Tarkin, sleemo extraordinaire and the man who'd spoken against Ahsoka during her trial, stood further down the hall shooting his blaster and wearing a familiar condescending expression.

That look turned to surprise, followed by fear, as Anakin simply kept running forward, dodging blaster fire until he was close enough to jump up and plow into Tarkin feet-first. The man went down hard, cracking his head on the duracrete floor, and Anakin couldn't help the vindictive pleasure even as he hurried onward.

Any positive emotion the man was feeling, though, shrivelled and died when he exited the prison, only to come face to face with a man he'd previously regarded as a close friend.

"Ah, Anakin," Palpatine smiled at him, standing several yards away in the center of the courtyard. "I see you've met Senator Amidala's children."

"You're _not_ getting them, _Sith._ " Anakin growled, tightening his hold on the twins even as he locked down is mental defenses. The coming fight would be dangerous, more so than any others he'd ever taken part in, but if he could get his son and daughter out safely Anakin was willing to accept any harm onto himself.

"Oh come now, my friend, surely you know they'll be well-cared for, especially in the face of Padme's imminent demise."

Anakin stiffened.

"A tragedy, I do admit, but after resisting arrest the Senator went through a rather, difficult, labor, the effects of which will be taking their toll on her even as we speak." The Chancellor - _Emperor_ \- grinned at him. "There's still time to save her, however. The Dark Side has given me many powers far beyond those of the Jedi, Anakin - I can share them with you to save your wife."

His resolve wavered. Even as Anakin considered the offer, however, the Darkness reaching out for him was blocked, pushed aside. The infants in his arms both whimpered, their dual presences in the Force - so tiny, yet shining as pure points of Light - latched onto his own with firm grips.

Anakin growled. "And in return for this knowledge, you would enslave me and my children."

"I would ask for your loyalty and service, but hardly call it enslavement-"

"Don't bother. Your lies mean nothing to me."

Palpatine's grin vanished. "I see. In that case, it seems I will need to take my new students by other means." And with that, his hands plucked a pair of lightsabers from beneath his robes. Anakin dropped into a defensive crouch as the crimson blades were ignited, swiftly calculating the best escape routes open to him.

Before either of the pair could move, however, someone new dropped into the courtyard and attacked Palpatine from behind.

"Run, Anakin!" Obi-wan shouted, the grime on his robes and face only serving to enhance the man's fierce expression. "Get the children out of here!"

Anakin ran.


	45. 44:New Family, New Hope, Part 3

Chapter 44 - New Family, New Hope, Part 3

(Summary: Mentally pressing for Leia's hidden secrets while aboard the Death Star, Vader finds not the location of the Rebel base, but something much more personal: " _I recently learned the truth, that my real parents were Padme Amidala and Anakin Skywalker." "That's my father's name, too!"_ )

 _Takes place the day after Part 2_

Leia sighed as she reluctantly began to pack. A week of searching had resulted in nothing tangible, and she knew her time was up. Captain Ahln would be glad to return to Alderaan, with the hope he would never have to speak of this adventure again. Artoo, though... Leia had gotten the impression that after she explained what their true purpose on Tatooine was, Artoo became just as invested in the search as her.

All for nothing, though.

A knock came on the door of her hotel room, causing the princess to pause with a frown. Ahln had gone to purchase a ride back to the city they'd be departing the planet from, Mos something, and Artoo was powered down in the corner. Carefully grabbing her small personal blaster, Leia moved to the door and slid it partially open.

The dark-haired boy who'd spoken to her in town the day before was standing there, looking town between excitement and nervousness. "Uh, hi, again, Miss Dala..."

"What do you want?"

"Well, y'see- IwaslyingtoyouyesterdayaboutknowingaSkywalker." Leia blinked at his unintelligible rush, and was about to ask him to repeat it when a second boy stepped into view.

One her age.

With blonde hair and blue eyes.

Just like the holo-pics of her father's younger self.

"Hi," the newcomer spoke. "My name's Luke Skywalker."

Once Leia got over her shock, she welcomed Luke into her room, thanked the bewildered Biggs Darklighter and sent him off with a handful of credits. By then, Artoo had woken up from his recharge nap, and was eagerly beeping at both teens.

"Quiet now, please, Artoo." Taking a deep breath, Leia studied the boy standing opposite her, and considered best how to open the conversation. Luke beat her to it.

"So, uh, who are you, exactly? And why have you been looking for me?"

"My name is Leia - and I, well, I wanted to meet you, even if no one would tell me where you were." Biting her lip, the fourteen year old fought to gain better control of herself.

"Why would you want to meet a nobody like me?" He asked, clearly confused.

"Because- look, I was adopted as a baby," Leia explained. "And up until a few months ago, the people I call Mother and Father never told me anything about my true parents, aside from the fact that they died right at the end of the Clone War, when the Republic became the Empire. But then I learned the truth, that my mother was Senator Padme Naberrie Amidala of Naboo - and that my father was Anakin Skywalker."

"That was _my_ father's name!" Luke burst out, his excitement causing Leia to smile. "So, wait, does that mean...?"

"We're siblings. Twins."

"Wow... But, why didn't I know about you if you were able to find out about me?"

"That's a story I'm still trying to get all the answers to. However, I _do_ know why we were separated; Anakin Skywalker was a Jedi Knight."

If possible, the blue eyes across from her got even wider. "A Jedi? But, Uncle Owen always told me he was a navigator..."

"He lied. Just like my adoptive parents never told me the real truth either, not until I forced it out of them."

"But why?"

"The same reason we were raised on different planets: to keep us safe. The Emperor declared all Jedi outlaws - if anyone turned us in as being the children of one of the greatest Jedi Generals of the entire War, we'd probably be killed just as a precaution."

At that point, Luke sank down to sit on the room's bed, looking absolutely stunned. Leia took a seat beside him, giving the other teen - her brother - time to process it. When he'd finally wrapped his head around the knowledge, though, his first words took her by surprise.

"Are you in trouble?"

"What?"

"If we were separated for our safety, then that means it's dangerous for us to be around one another." Leia hadn't thought about that. "So, are you in trouble? Is there a bigger reason why you came to find me?"

"Um, no... I just, when I found out you existed, I had to meet you, regardless of the danger."

"Oh."

Artoo whistled at them, causing Luke to blink and Leia to scowl. "I am not _reckless,_ Artoo-Detoo, you take that back!"

In answer, the astromech trundled closer, and projected a hologram in front of the two teens.

 _*You can't keep improvising plans halfway through a mission, Anakin,*_ a bearded man sighed, while the younger one beside him simply laughed.

 _*I can if it keeps working!*_

 _*Honestly, I swear you're more reckless than half the Jedi Order..."_

 _*Come on, Obi-wan, I'm not that bad-*_

 _*Oh yes you are!*_ A third voice broke in as a Togruta girl entered the image, poking her elbow into the younger man's side. _*Face it, Skyguy, you're a textbook definition of 'act first, think never'!*_

 _*I am not! You take that back, Snips!*_ Artoo ended the projection as the human playfully scowled at girl, the older man rolling his eyes with a grin behind them.

Both teenagers gaped at the droid, who let out a playful bleep.

"Was- was that him? Dad?" Luke asked.

"I, think so..." Leia blinked. "Artoo, you actually _knew_ him?"

The astromech sounded as smug as a piece of machinery could when he said he not only _knew_ Anakin, he _flew_ with him for the first time many years before the Clone War even began. Both the twins immediately began questioning him, about their father, their mother, the other two people in the holo-projection, and the War. Luke was proficient enough in binary to understand most of the droid's responses, and he of course fully enjoyed the other few projections and recordings Artoo played for them. Leia spent the entire time wondering in the back of her mind how she'd never thought to ask her astromech if he'd known her parents, especially considering that she knew he used to be owned by her birth mother, along with another...

"Artoo, does Threepio know any of this too?" Her face fell when he replied in the negative, explaining that C-3PO's memory had been wiped shortly after the twins were born.

"Hey, at least they forgot to do the same with our small friend here, right?" Luke bumped her shoulder with his own, and Leia, despite being unused to the casual gesture, couldn't help but smile.

"Right. At least there's that."

Artoo's storytelling was cut off, however, when Captain Ahln returned. The man was very surprised to find his princess' long lost brother sitting with her, while Luke's jaw dropped when he finally learned just _who_ Leia had been adopted by. His single spark of jealousy faded in an instant, though, at seeing the look on his sister's face when Ahln reminded Leia that they had to depart if they were to return to Alderaan in time for her subterfuge not to be discovered.

"I'll come back," she promised, throwing a few final things into her suitcase. "I don't know when, but I will."

"I'll be waiting." Luke returned, and gave her a tight hug. He also patted Artoo, and shook hands with Captain Ahln, before heading outside to meet Biggs for his ride home.

As they drove away from Anchorhead not long afterward, Leia had a massive grin upon her face. Ahln saw it, and sighed, knowing full well he'd be inevitably dragged along on more visits to Tatooine in the future.

 _A/N: I apologize for the long wait, folks. My excuse lies in the fact that my mother pays attention when I update my stories, and will often include in our phone conversations "I saw you had time to write and post that chapter of such and such story, did you get your homework all finished too?"_

 _It's just- argh, I'm in kriffin' college now, I ought to be able to do what I want in my spare time without worrying about her constantly looking over my metaphorical shoulder! But nooo, because things have been tense between us lately, I haven't wanted to rock the boat even more by updating when I know she's watching... So, again, I'm sorry that my family issues have been cutting back the content lately, and hope that the next few chapters coming out this week will help make up for that._

 _-Tri_


	46. 45:Family Bonds are Strongest, Part 7

Chapter 45 - Family Bonds are Strongest, Part 7

(Summary: When Ahsoka walked away from the Jedi Order, so did Anakin.)

 _Picks up right where Part 6 leaves off..._

 _Before either of the pair could move, however, someone new dropped into the courtyard and attacked Palpatine from behind._

" _Run, Anakin!" Obi-wan shouted, the grime on his robes and face only serving to enhance the man's fierce expression. "Get the children out of here!"_

 _Anakin ran._

Using the Force to help propel himself out of the courtyard up onto a wall, the man hurried towards the rendezvous point, ignoring both the crying infants in his arms and the distinctly bad feeling that leaving his former mentor along with Palpatine would not end well.

Thankfully, Rex's distraction at the far end of the prison was attracting more than enough attention for Anakin to make his run without any more interruptions - and his ride was waiting right where it was supposed to be.

The modified ship descended at his approach, the rear hatch opening up to reveal his concerned student. Ahsoka helped pull Anakin inside, ignoring for the time being the pair of babies he had. "Skyguy, we've got a problem- Padme-"

"I know." He swallowed. "And there's a bigger one back the way I came - Obi-wan's holding off Palpatine for us."

Ahsoka's eyes widened, and she promptly shouted for Hawk to take them back around to the courtyard in question. From one of the ship's side rooms, two of the six younglings they were carrying poked their heads out, eyes wide. Anakin motioned for them to come over, and then deposited both his children in the stunned kids' arms. "Don't drop them, okay?"

"Y-yeah, no dropping, got it Master Skywalker." The dark-haired boy glanced at his Tholothian friend, who couldn't seem to say anything at all.

"Good, now take them to their mother, and then hunker down - we're going to be accelerating very quickly, more than likely." Through the still-open hatch, Anakin could see the courtyard as they circled it, and the bright flashes of color as Obi-wan battled the Sith Lord. "Go!"

The pair hurried off, as he and Ahsoka readied their own weapons. Even as Hawk brought them closer to the action, though, Anakin felt his stomach sink when his mentor was a second too slow.

One of Palpatine's lightsabers caught Obi-wan's left arm just below the wrist, and sliced it off in a single clean blow. The Jedi didn't make a sound, even managed to leap back several paces before the pain brought him to his knees.

Before his opponent could close the distance and finish him off, Anakin jumped down between them.

"Back again, Skywalker?" Palpatine smirked, his voice decidedly more gravelly and less congenial. "And yet always too late to stop those you care about from being hurt."

Anger rose up within Anakin, but, remembering the touch from his twins, the man refused to let it control his actions. Instead, he only focused on keeping the Sith at bay, blue lightsaber clashing against red, until Ahsoka yelled his name.

Then Anakin unleashed every emotion he had - his fury at Palpatine's betrayal, his fear for Padme, his joy over reclaiming both his children, the fervent hope that he'd be able to get all his family members out alive - channeling them all into a concentrated blast of the Force, sending Palpatine skidding away across the courtyard stones.

Distance created, Anakin leapt upward, landing just inside the ship and hanging on for dear life as Hawk pulled away in a steep upward curve.

Stumbling to the cockpit, he took over from the clone, piloting more by instinct than anything else as they fled approaching fighters. Over the comm channel, Rex announced that his team was also in retreat, and would meet them at the chosen safehouse.

"They're gaining on us, sir!" Hawk pointed out, expression grim as he was forced to direct more power away from their shields and into the engines.

"Not for long." Gritting his teeth, Anakin added the Force to helping with their evasive maneuvers, blasting out of Coruscant's atmosphere in a bid for open space.

"Star Destroyers incoming-"

"Thank you, Hawk!" Dodging laser fire from behind and ahead, the man pulled out all the stops - and just barely made it past their final obstacle. "Jump to hyperspace, now!"

Hawk activated the controls, getting them to safety in a split second. Anakin slumped back in his seat, feeling suddenly exhausted.

"Master...?" Turning, he started to send a relieved grin in Ahsoka's direction, but then registered the trepidation on her face.

 _...the Senator went through a rather, difficult, labor, the effects of which will be taking their toll on her even as we speak..._

Without a word, Anakin stood and made his way to the ship's tiny med bay. The two younglings Petro and Katooni were still holding his children, waiting anxiously beside the berth Padme was laying on, across from the sedated and unconscious Obi-wan. Even without hearing her labored breathing, he new something was seriously wrong from the way his wife's presence in the Force was fluctuating.

"I'll take them back now, kids," he murmured, retrieving the twins and allowing the pair to flee. "Padme... Padme, I'm here..."

Brown eyes flickered open, and Padme smiled upon seeing him. "A-ani- did you find-?"

"Twins, Angel." Oh so carefully, the man nestled an infant on either side of their mother's torso, one atop each of her arms. "I found our twins. A girl and a boy."

"We- we were both- both right." Smile strengthening, Padme looked first at one baby, then the other. "N-names...?"

"We've each got a favorite, Angel."

"Then- then we, use them. Luke..."

"And Leia. Luke and Leia Amidala Skywalker." Anakin leaned forward to kiss the brows of both his twins and then his wife. He then rested his forehead against Padme's, until her breath hitched.

"I l-love you Ani... Please, please be a, good father..."

"Of course I will, we both- no. No, Padme, please-!"

"'M sorry, Ani..."

"No!" Even as he protested, though, Anakin felt her life flicker once more-

-and go out.

How long he stood there, staring uncomprehendingly as his wife's body began to cool, Anakin couldn't say. But, just as despair and a terrible rage started to well up within him, Luke let out a cry. Leia answered him a moment later, and Anakin swallowed back down his emotions.

With an even greater tenderness than before, he picked up the swaddled infants, holding both to his chest as he sank to the floor. Unconsciously, Anakin started to hum a lullaby his mother had used, reaching through the Force to cling to both his son and daughter's signatures. They welcomed the contact, seeking comfort from him and giving it in return.

Ahsoka joined him there a while later, followed by the six younglings she'd retrieved, and they all came together in a cuddle pile with Anakin and the twins at the center. In the Force, Light gathered in a shield around the anguished soul, protecting the grown Skywalker as he grieved.

Obi-wan awoke at some point, still in pain from his lost limb and previous injuries. Even so, the Jedi was coherent enough to take in the scene and realize what had happened, adding his own presence in the Force to comfort his former padawan.

They would all need time to heal from their losses, but heal they would, and go on stronger than before thanks to the bonds of their family.


	47. 46:New Family, New Hope, Part 4

Chapter 46 - New Family, New Hope, Part 4

(Summary: Mentally pressing for Leia's hidden secrets while aboard the Death Star, Vader finds not the location of the Rebel base, but something much more personal: " _I recently learned the truth, that my real parents were Padme Amidala and Anakin Skywalker." "That's my father's name, too!"_ )

 _Takes place half a year after Part 3_

For her fifteenth birthday, Leia asked her adopted parents for permission to take a two month sabbatical and tour the galaxy. Reluctantly, they agreed, especially since she suggested using the trip as a cover to make contact with various rebel cells and check in with Fulcrum.

Set up in a personal cruiser with Artoo, Threepio, Captain Ahln, two more security personnel and a trio of servant droids, the princess eagerly departed from Alderaan. One short jump through hyperspace later, they arrived at a set of pre-arranged coordinates, where another, smaller ship was waiting.

"Keep travelling along the route we selected," Ahln instructed his subordinates before switching to the independant craft. "Don't let anyone know we're gone, and the Princess and I will meet you on Pantora in two week's time.

"Yes, sir!"

Eager to get going, Leia grabbed her single bag and headed through the airlock to the vessel she'd contracted for the subterfuge, a ship called _The Lost Saber._ While the crew were obviously more likely to be smugglers rather than honest cargo carriers, she'd gotten a good feeling when spotting their listing amongst the dozens of others offering passage out from Alderaan.

The ship's captain, a Tholothian woman who'd introduced herself as Katooni Naka, had arched an eyebrow at Leia's request for the off-planet meeting, but didn't insist on more than an extra hundred credits for the secrecy. Both she and her first mate, a dark haired man named Petro, were waiting in the cargo bay for Leia's arrival. Neither so much as blinked at Captain Ahln, but both of them did double takes upon seeing Artoo-detoo.

"Welcome aboard, Miss Dala," Katooni said after tearing her eyes away from the astromech. "If you'll step right this way, please."

"Of course, Captain Naka."

There was a yellow-green Nautolan in the ship's central room, who also had his attention drawn to Artoo as the Alderaanians entered. "Uh, Katooni...?"

"Not now, Zatt." His captain replied. "Tell Ganoodi and Byph to take off, our passengers are aboard. We'll discuss the... development, later."

Nodding, Zatt headed off to the cockpit, while Leia turned an inquisitive look to the Tholothian. "Why is my droid causing such a stir with you and your crew, Captain?"

Katooni and Petro exchanged unreadable glances, before the latter disappeared down another corridor. "To put is simply, Miss Dala, we recognize him."

It took Leia a moment to process that statement, but then she stiffened in place. While it was possible the woman meant she knew he belonged to Bail Organa, Artoo had made it clear that during the Clone War, he'd been seen primarily in Anakin Skywalker's company, and sometimes Padme Amidala's too. If these people recognized the astromech from those days, things were about to get interesting.

Ahln clearly thought so as well, because he placed one hand on Leia's shoulder and the other on his holstered blaster. "Recognize him from where, ma'am?"

The Tholothian didn't answer right away, as her ship made the jump to hyperspace, and the rest of her crew returned to the main room. Petro came first with a large wookie trailing after him, and then Zatt arrived with a Rhodian and Ithorian in tow. As each entered, Leia could feel something building in the air, a pressure upon not her body, but rather her mind. It was similar to the same sense she'd gotten when tracking down clues about her father, her brother's location, and even the moment she spotted _The Lost Saber_ in the list of ship registries.

With a quiet thrill, the girl wondered if it had something to do with the Force.

Katooni introduced the new three crew members as Gungi, Ganoodi and Byph, before naming both Leia and Ahln. She then gestured towards Artoo and asked who else remembered him.

There were a few moments of silence, and then Ganoodi was the first to speak. "That's Master Skywalker's astromech. The one that would follow Ashoka around the Temple sometimes."

Leia's eyes widened as she realized what those words meant. "You- you're Jedi?"

Ahln slapped a hand over his eyes. "Why am I not surprised." Katooni started to address them, but the Alderaanian man waved her off. "No, no it's fine, I'm just going to go sit somewhere quiet and let you all talk. As m'lady said the first time we snuck off to Tatooine, the less I know, the less I can be yelled at for later." With that, he turned and headed back down the hall, followed by Artoo's mechanical snickering.

Petro looked at Leia curiously. "The _first_ time you snuck off to Tatooine?"

"A few months ago," she answered. "To find my twin brother - we were separated at birth. Our real father was Anakin Skywalker."

As one, the six adults all grinned. "Guess we know now why Maz told us to always be nice to anyone from Alderaan." Katooni chuckled. "Come sit down, kid, and tell us about you and this brother of yours."

 _A/N: A quick note on last names - I've got Leia using the alias 'Miss Dala' when she doesn't need to advertise herself as Princess of Alderaan, which comes from her mother's name Amidala. Similarly, the_ Saber's _crew all got new last names when they escaped Order 66 and hid on Florrum; Katooni uses 'Naka', which she borrowed from their mentor and protector, Hondo Ohnaka._

 _Just thought I'd point those out for ya'll..._

 _-Tri_


	48. 47:Reluctant Relations, Part 1

Chapter 47 - Reluctant Relations, Part 1

(Summary: In which Mira Bridger's maiden name was Fett.)

Jango smiled as his children raced through their quarters, giggling and pretending to be a bounty hunter versus a pirate.

"You no catch me!" Boba yelled, toddling along as fast as he could.

"Oh yes I will!" Mira called back, ducking around a table so as to surprise him. The three year old shrieked with delight, trying to avoid his big sister only to get caught by her anyways. A tickle attack started up then, which just served to make Jango grin even wider.

Insisting that the Kaminoans give him a clone son as part of his payment was one of the best ideas Jango ever had. After his wife's death, he'd not been able to spend as much time with Mira as he ought, and knew that the little girl suffered for it. A baby brother, though, had been just the right thing to cause her to liven up again.

There were more than just emotional reasons at play, of course: Jango wanted a male heir to take up his armor one day, regardless of how talented a fighter Mira was turning out to be; a second child so that his first could always have someone to rely on even if their father was out of the picture.

And with as well as the pair played together, he knew nothing would ever tear them apart.

-RR-

"No."

"But Mira-"

" _No,_ Boba. I don't want anything to do with revenge - it's pointless and will only get us killed, same as- same as Dad." Despite the tears pouring down her face, the teen was glaring down at her little brother with a fierce determination. "He wouldn't want us to put ourselves in harm's way just to take down a stupid Jedi."

Boba glared back. "You're just being a coward! A stupid, cowardly girl!"

"It's not cowardly if I'm making a choice that will keep us both alive!"

"You can't make that choice for me - if you won't help me kill Windu, I'll go find allies who will!"

And with that, the younger Fett stormed off, leaving his big sister with mixed emotions: fury over being disregarded, despair for what her baby brother was turning to, and the ever-present grief over their father's death.

It was the last time they spoke to one another for five years.

-RR-

Even with the extermination of the Jedi and the rise of the Empire, Boba didn't think he'd ever be contacted by his sister again; and yet, one morning there was a recorded message from her waiting on his comm console. How Mira got his contact information was a mystery; especially considering she'd hidden herself well enough from the war that even Boba hadn't found her - not that he'd ever looked especially hard, admittedly.

So, it was with great trepidation that he opened up the message, and upon seeing a single holo learned three things about his big sister in an instant:

She was a grown woman.

She was a grown, _married_ woman.

She was a grown, married woman with a house, husband and child all her own.

There were a few words included with the picture: an address, for a home in the Lothal system. Boba stared at them for a few hours.

Then he sent a return message, asking when the best time to visit was.


	49. 48:Never Hurt Him, Part 2 (End)

Chapter 48 - Never Hurt Him, Part 2

(Summary: Six year old Luke has lots of people who love him - his mommy, his Uncle Obi, Uncle Rex and Aunt 'Soka - and now he knows he has a daddy who loves him too. One who might be a bit scary, and hard to hug, but that was okay. At least he promised to help Luke when the time right comes along.)

 _Takes place twelve years after Part 1_

"Luke, stop scowling."

"I'm not!"

"You are too, and it's not helping anything." Padme frowned at her son where the eighteen year old stood awkwardly in the corner of the medical bay. Bacta and salve-soaked bandages were still being wrapped around her right arm, and Luke refused to leave until she did. "This isn't your fault."

"I wasn't fast enough," he murmured back, almost too low for Padme to hear. She did catch the words, though, and sighed.

"If anything, Luke, _I'm_ the one to blame for picking the wrong cover. It's obvious those barrels were full of accelerant, yet I didn't move further away from them. Besides, you _were_ fast enough to get me out before I was burned any further."

They'd spent that morning in an Imperial base, retrieving important data, only to be caught in the final stages of escaping. Separated from one another by stormtroopers, Luke had lost track of his mother until a stray shot ruptured the tanks of fuel accelerant resting mere yards from her position. At that point, he'd stopped using his blaster in favor of the lightsaber kept hidden in his boot, and tore a path of destruction through the enemy in order to get his mom away from the raging fire.

A few moments sooner, and he could've prevented her from getting burned at all.

A few moments later, and nothing would have saved Padme Skywalker's life.

 _I want you to promise that when you need to be stronger to protect your mother, when you need more power to keep her safe, you'll come to me._

The words came to him, as they had been more and more of late, conveyed not by a deep, mechanical voice but rather something more human, more familiar to the teen.

Lost in thought, Luke jumped when his mother appeared in front of him, her injured arm supported by a sling and a concerned expression on her face. Smiling in reassurance, he looped an arm around her shoulders, and the pair headed out for their debriefing.

-NHH-

"I'm... Afraid, Ahsoka."

"Why's that?"

"Luke has, been getting more distant lately. Ever since the mission when I was burned... I'm afraid he's starting to act more like Anakin did, right before the end."

Resisting the urge to flinch, Ahsoka reached over to cover Padme's hands with her own. "It's probably just the war effort. He's gotten a lot more mature in the last couple years, taking a bigger role in missions and attacks. We're so close now, Padme - I refuse to believe that Luke will Fall when the Alliance is this close to bringing down the Empire."

The Togruta's words rang true, and Padme let herself be reassured by them. Their allies were gaining strength in the Imperial Senate, while the Death Star had been identified and located, the final piece of its blueprints soon to be retrieved by their Bothan spy network.

Just as she was calming down, though, Rex burst into the private meeting room.

"We've got a problem," he announced.

-NHH-

"Lord Vader, there's a visitor here to see you."

"I know, Lieutenant."

"You- you do?"

Irritated, Vader turned to glare at the young officer. "Yes. I do. Have him brought here immediately, and do not question me in future."

"Y-yes, Lord Vader!" Allowing the man to flee with his life, Vader returned to staring out the viewport, his spirit practically bouncing with excitement. More than a decade he'd been waiting for the boy to come to him, and finally, _finally,_ Luke was here.

A few minutes later, the youth was escorted in, his hands trapped by binders and his weapons in the hands of the stormtroopers on either side of him. Biting back a sharp retort, Vader used the Force to open the restraints and summon both blaster and lightsaber. He then dismissed the guards, and simply drank in the sight of his son.

Nearly full grown, Luke's blonde hair was mid-length and slightly shaggy, his body lean from hard work. His own gaze met that of his father's, and for a moment the youth's carefully maintained confidence flickered.

"I'm not here to join you or anything," he began to speak. "But I need to be stronger. To protect Mom."

"I take it something happened, then."

"She... She got hurt, burned, because I wasn't able to reach her faster. She would've died if I hadn't used the saber to get to her. I need to be better at using it - at using the Force. Ahsoka's taught me so little, focusing on ways to remain hidden or escape, but almost nothing for combat." As he continued, Luke's straight back bowed slightly, until he was staring downward, a shamed look in his eyes.

In response, Vader stepped forward, and placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "I learned to wield the Dark Side to save her life as well. Doing so will most likely turn her against you, because she doesn't understand."

Luke clenched his fists. "That doesn't matter. I need to make sure she lives - for the Alliance, if nothing else. For the sake of the galaxy."

"Then, we shall get started right away, so that the two of us can remove the biggest threat to her life."

"What?"

"The Emperor, Luke. It has not escaped him that your mother is one of the heads of the Rebel Alliance. But if you and I can work together to destroy him, she need never be placed in danger again." Vader held out his old lightsaber, the one Luke had been using.

"But, if he's gone, won't someone else just take over the throne? And pick up where he left off?"

"That someone would be me, and I will never hurt her." The _never again_ went unspoken.

Slowly nodding, Luke took hold of the weapon. "What do I need to do?"


	50. 49:From the Forge, Part 4

Chapter 49 - From the Forge, Part 4

(Summary: Rebels spin-off to Family Bonds are Strongest, in which both Depa Billaba and her student Caleb Dume escape the Purge, courtesy of their microchip-free and still-loyal clone troopers...)

 _Takes place a couple days after Part 3_

Janus Kasmir was headed back to his ship after an evening out when it started pouring down rain. Grumbling to himself, the Kalleran ducked into a sheltered alleyway as a shortcut, hoping to make it to the _Kasmiri_ before his clothes became completely soaked.

So really, stumbling across the fugitive Jedi and their clone bodyguards was a complete accident. Not that saying so stopped three of said bodyguards from holding their blasters to his head.

"Whoa whoa whoa, come on now!" Janus complained as he was surrounded by grime-covered troopers. "I'm not gonna go squealing on you, honest!"

"Do you even know how to be honest, tuft-sucker?" The captain of the group snarled.

"Now there's no reason to throw around insults like that-"

"Styles." The older of the two Jedi stepped forward, placing her hand on the clone's weapon. "At ease. What is your name, Kalleran?"

"Kasmir, Janus Kasmir. And you're General What's-her-name."

Styles raised his blaster again with an irritated expression. "We can't risk word getting back to the brainwashed men, General."

"I don't think it will. Tell me, Janus Kasmir, do you know of any smugglers with a large enough ship to get us all off of Kaller?"

Glancing around the group of twenty or so clones, plus their pair of Jedi, he slowly nodded. "I am, in fact, a smuggler myself, and my ship's got just enough of a carrying capacity for the lot of you. Where exactly are you aiming to go?"

"That doesn't matter for the moment." The Jedi said. "Are you willing to smuggle us out?"

"...Yeah." With that, the majority of blasters were lowered, and Janus started hashing out a rough schedule for sneaking all the clones to the docking bay of his ship. Trying to pass them all off as Imperial troopers on patrol was just asking for trouble, so he also offered to take some of their armor and sell it in order to purchase some less conspicuous clothing. After conferring amongst themselves, about half the clones agreed, and started to remove the white and red plating. While that was going on, Janus was finally able to get more than a brief glance of the baby Jedi, who'd been kept hidden behind a couple of the troopers.

The kid didn't look so good, drenched by the rain even with his Master's robe wrapped around on top of his own. Janus could practically feel his heartstrings being tugged at, as he recognized the protectiveness a few of the clones were harboring towards the bedraggled boy, keeping themselves between him and the potential threat even as the deal was discussed for getting them all off Kaller.

Sighing internally when he was asked for a price, Janus decided to cut the fugitives some slack.

"Once we've gotten wherever it is you all are going, I'll take the rest of the armor for my payment."

The grown Jedi blinked at him. "That's it?"

"Not like you people have much else to give, to be honest."

"True, but-"

"Lady, you gonna argue with me, or just accept a good turn?" Clearly wary as to his reasons why, she nonetheless agreed. "Good. Now, I'm willing to sneak you and the baby Jedi to my ship first, since both you seem to gotten wetter than anyone else out here."

"No." The commander of the group, who hadn't spoken yet, stepped forward. "We aren't letting them go anywhere without at least one of us by their sides."

Janus rolled his eyes. "While you're still undisguised and liable to attract attention."

Narrowing her eyes, the grown Jedi suddenly turned and strode to her Padawan. Helping him out of her larger robe, she then turned and hung it across the shoulders of a startled clone wearing only his jumpsuit. "General?"

"Go with Caleb, Stance." She ordered. "Get to Kasmir's ship, and guard it while he's out selling the armor we've given him. The rest of us will join you according to the plan."

"Master, I'm not l- leav- lea-ah-ah-AHH-CHOO!" The force of his sneeze nearly bowled the little Jedi over. Janus was hard pressed not to chuckle, and from the quirking of lips around him, so were several of the clones.

"You're liable to get sick if you stay out here any longer, Padawan-mine," his Master murmured, resting a hand on the kid's hair. "Go. Stance will look out for you."

"Doesn't look like we've got a choice, Caleb. Come on," the clone, Stance, said. Obviously reluctant, the kid nonetheless took his offered hand, and then the pair looked expectantly at Janus.

"Right this way, boys."

 _A/N: I'm having great fun so far with this particular plotline - and don't worry, it'll sync up with the Family Bonds one and show you all a bit of Anakin raising baby Luke and Leia (with a great deal of help from Ahsoka, Obi-wan, and Rex)._

 _Anywho, hope you all have had a good winter so far - mine's been alright, but tomorrow I need to drive four hours south in order to go to court over the couple of citations I got last Thanksgiving, when I was driving through a snowstorm, hit a patch of ice, slid to the side of the road and rolled my truck. Not fun. Even less fun was receiving the ticket for 'no valid proof of insurance' (which I DID have, I just couldn't FIND it after my truck did a 360 barrel roll and everything got tossed around), and especially the one for 'careless driving'. I was being damn careful! How's it my fault I have next to no experience handling icy conditions and had an accident just the same as native New Mexico and Colorado drivers?!_

 _Well, I wish you all a better tomorrow than I'm going to have, and see you for the next update,_

 _-Tri_


	51. 50:Fellow Padawans, Part 5

Chapter 50 - Fellow Padawans, Part 5

(Summary: Hera sighed, gesturing towards the weathered old man and a blonde teenager who looked to be Ezra's age. "Guys, these are Obi-wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker. And they need somewhere to hide for a while.")

 _Takes place the day after Part 4_

"Ahsoka."

"Rex."

"You got old."

"Had to happen sometime." Then, overwhelmed by the reappearance of her old friend, Ahsoka couldn't help but grab him in a tight hug while their audience grinned. As soon as the pair separated, the Togrutan Jedi thanked the _Ghost_ crew for going through with their mission, and from the look in her eye she knew exactly how difficult the whole thing was for Kanan. She then went around to each of the other clones, giving brief hugs to Kix, Cody, and Wolffe, and exchanging handshakes with Soot and Gregor, gaining introductions at the same time.

"Now just comes the issue of figuring out where to put you all," Ahsoka joked.

Zeb, Ezra and Luke all groaned. "Please tell me we don't need to re-shuffle everything again!" The Lasat pleaded.

In the end, it was decided that Gregor and Wolffe would remain aboard the _Phoenix,_ while Rex took up his place at Ahsoka's side once more, and only Cody, Kix and Soot would move into the _Ghost._ For the next couple days, renovations were done to turn one of the secondary storage rooms into a basic barracks where the clones could sleep. They all claimed to have no problem with the cramped quarters, but also admitted that they'd likely _only_ sleep in the small space, not stay there in their free time.

Obi-wan was glad to have his good friend back again, while Luke was similarly eager to have someone else who'd known his father in close company. The rest of the crew were all of positive minds about the additions... with the marked exception of Kanan.

First chance she had, Hera dragged the man aside in order to talk to him.

"They've spent more than fifteen years getting over their guilt and grief, Kanan," she murmured, wrapping the man in a hug once he made the issue clear. "It's not right to push them away now for something they were forced into against their will in the first place."

"I, I know, but-" He shuddered. "I still get the nightmares, now and then. And Soot's one of the ones shooting at her, at us."

" _Talk_ to him, love. I'm sure Soot has similar nightmares."

That night, the twi'lek cheated by getting Obi-wan to lock the door before Kanan could enter their cabin, and then had the other clones send Soot out of their room as well. The pair encountered one another in the main room, and though they held onto the awkward silence for a good long while, Soot eventually spoke.

"How long did it take you to get your feet under you again after- after it happened?" The clone asked quietly.

"A while. A Kalleran smuggler eventually took me in, taught me how to survive and fight with a blaster - even escape from Grey and Styles when they kept chasing me."

Soot winced at that, and Kanan asked a question of his own. "When did the effects from the biochips wear off?"

"Depended on the brother. Some started seeing things again clearly after only a few weeks - the ones with friends or family-level connections outside the army. Most of them left once they'd realized what we had done. Others, like me, needed to take a few knocks to the head, literal as well as not." He rubbed at his face with a sigh. "Sometime after Grey and Styles died, I was with a company that was rounding up refugees on what had been a Separatist world. We'd gotten a tip-off that there were Jedi-sympathizers hiding among them. The new captain ordered us to shoot them all, even the kids. I started running that night and didn't look back."

Cringing at the turbulent emotions Soot was giving off, Kanan got to his feet and approached. The other man tensed, but relaxed as soon as the Jedi placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You're here now," he said. "A no one in the Rebellion would ever give an order like that."

"Good to know." Soot tried to grin at him, but fell dismally short.

"And, I'm sorry, for thinking ill of all of you for all this time."

"A lot of us deserved it, Caleb."

"Still, it wasn't fair of me."

Soot nudged him, wearing a smaller, genuine smile. "Guess that means we both need to better from here on out, then."

"Guess so."

When Hera got up the next morning and headed to the kitchen for her breakfast, she grinned upon finding both Kanan and Soot slumped against one another at the table, sound asleep.

"Everybody heals, love," she whispered, pressing a quick kiss to the Jedi's forehead. "Everyone, eventually."

Others who got up to retrieve their morning food also remained quiet to leave the pair be, at least until Ezra and Luke arrived. The darker haired boy sent his companion a devious grin, earning a sigh but also a nod.

Soot and Kanan were awoken when a pitcher of ice cold water was dumped over them. Two teenage padawans then had to flee for their lives, off the _Ghost_ and onto the _Phoenix_ in order to hide behind Ahsoka and Rex.


	52. 51: Quintet, Part 4

Chapter 51 - Quintet, Part 4

(Summary: _*Extraction Squad Alpha to Captain Rex.*_ "Rex here. Report?" _*We have the Senator, sir, but, uh- she's gone into labor.*_ "...Understood. Get her onto a transport as quickly as possible, but safely - no harm is to come to General Skywalker's wife or their child, understood?")

 _Takes place two years after Part 3_

"But it's not fair!"

Sighing, Rex picked up the displeased six year old and started walking back to his quarters. "I know, Little Sky, but the fact remains that you aren't old enough."

Jinni scowled and folded her arms. "When _am_ I gonna be old 'nuff?"

"Not for another two or three years."

"But Uncle Re- _ex!_ That's gonna take _forever!"_

"Good, then that means I have longer to teach you about blasters before you go chasing after the twins with your own lightsaber."

Anakin had left that morning in order to take his elder children on a trip to Ilum, to retrieve kyber crystals for their first lightsabers. Considering that Kanan Jarrus was taking Ezra at the same time, Rex wondered if the other boy's little brother was putting up as much of a stink as Jinni.

Probably not. Kid was younger, after all, and infinitely more well-behaved.

Arriving at his quarters, Rex marched right in and across, depositing Jinni onto his bunk. "Now. We've got an entire afternoon to ourselves, and I refuse to have it turned depressing because of your whining."

The little girl glared at him.

"We can train, or play, or just watch some holo-movies, but whatever we do we're going to go about it in a pleasant manner, understand?"

"...Yes, Uncle."

"Good. Do you have a preference?"

Before Jinni could answer, there was a knock at the door, and Rex called for the visitor to enter. The _Ghost_ crewmember Zeb stepped into the room, a very petulant four year old perched on his shoulders.

"Let me guess," Rex sighed. "Yours is unhappy about being left at home too."

"Yeah, and since I'm not all that good with kits anyway..."

Personally, Rex thought the Lasat was underestimating himself. He'd seen quite often how eager the Bridger boys would become at the opportunity to spend a day with their big brother figure, especially since those days were few and far between when _both_ Kanan and Hera were gone. But, as with Jinni, there were just some things that would make any child unruly.

Rex went ahead and gave little Phirim the same warning he'd delivered to his own charge, before leaving them to decide what they wanted to do together. Zeb quietly offered his thanks, and the clone companionably clapped a hand on the Lasat's shoulder.

"Benefit of watching how Padme handled the twins when they were younger," he explained. "I suggest going to her in the future event you don't know what to do."

"Heh, or just come dump the kits on you again."

"Don't expect me to go along with it quite so easily again - if I've got all three little Skies to keep an eye on, I'm not accepting any more younglings."

Zeb chuckled. "Just as well for you Tano doesn't have any offspring of her own to add to the mix."

"If that happened, I'd call in Commander Wolffe for reinforcements."

"Ha!"

For the rest of the afternoon, Jinni and Phirim contented themselves with drawing while their caretakers swapped stories of both babysitting and battle related natures. Eventually, they got pulled into making art as well, and the depictions of Jedi and clones fighting battle droids got a lot busier. Some members of the Lasat Honor Guard were added in too, and key figures of the Alliance, as well as some proper stormtroopers to be challenged.

When Ahsoka stuck her head in several hours later to announce dinner, she beamed at the flimsi-covered floor and the four people who'd gotten it that way. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you two had missed your true calling!"

Rex snorted. "What, artistry?"

"No - youngling caretaking!" The Togruta hastily ducked away at that, though her laughter echoed back down the hall. Zeb chuckled as Rex rolled his eyes, and then they picked up their respective charges and headed for the ship's cafeteria.


	53. 52:Peas in a Pod, Part 4

Chapter 52 - Peas in a Pod, Part 4

(Summary:"We started off transmitting illegal broadcasts. Then General Skywalker sent Kanan to us, to protect Ezra. Now we're living on a rebel base, letting both our boys train with the Force, and helping out with missions against the Empire." Ephraim kissed his wife. "Mira, dear, how did our lives completely turn around in just four years?" "Haven't the foggiest, love.")

 _Takes place a few months after Quintet Part 4_

"Kanan," Ezra whispered, eyes wide, "What do we do?"

"Keep your shields at full strength, and stay close." Tightening his grip on Phirim, Kanan took hold of Ezra's shoulder with his other hand and carefully startled to shuffle forward through the darkness.

They'd been scouting various locations for a secondary rebel base since the main one was getting crowded, and found a moon with breathable atmosphere and plenty of wide canyons. Unfortunately, thinking the place was safe enough for the boys to join him on a walkabout, Kanan hadn't paid nearly enough attention to the Force. On the opposite side of a canyon from the _Ghost_ when a Tie fighter ambushed them, he'd gone with his gut instinct and taken Ezra and Phirim down into a cave system, hoping to at least hide from the Imperial even if they couldn't get back to the ship.

The Tie pilot didn't stay in the air, though. He'd landed his craft, taken out a crimson lightsaber, and followed them into the earth.

Now, after causing a minor cave-in to cut the Darksider off from them, Kanan hoped to lead the boys in a safe direction - something easier said than done when none of them could see a blasted thing.

Phirim suddenly shifted where he was tucked against Kanan's hip, nearly causing the grown Jedi to drop him. "There's monsters down here," the four year old whispered. "Nice ones."

"No such thing as nice monsters." His big brother muttered back. Kanan was inclined to agree with him.

Cautiously, he extended a tendril of effort through the Force, following Phirim's to whatever had attracted the little boy's attention. Sure enough, there were a pair of massive presences asleep in the cavern next to them, of a nature that Kanan couldn't quite define.

"Okay, we're going to _avoid_ going in that direction." He told the younglings.

"But it's th' fastest way back t' th' _Ghost!"_

Frowning at Phirim's insistence, Kanan took a risk and opened himself more fully to the Force - and unfortunately found that the four year old was correct.

Equally dire was the knowledge that the Darksider pursuing them was approaching a lot faster than Kanan cared for. Deciding to try the hopefully less dangerous path, he sought out a tunnel entrance, and took his charges into the neighboring cavern.

In addition to being massive, the pair of monsters were intertwined with one another and covered the entire floor. Kanan fervently prayed that their outer armor was enough to prevent either one feeling the Jedi walking across, and consequently waking up.

The Darksider behind them had no such qualms.

Kanan's only warning was the sound of a lightsaber igniting, before he looped his left arm around Ezra's waist and dove to one side with both boys. The crimson blade struck down against the large scale they'd just been standing on, followed by the Darksider's irritated growl.

Those two things were enough to wake the monsters up.

Ezra yelped and Phirim whimpered as the 'ground' they were on began to move, while Kanan focused solely on keeping his balance. Despite being illuminated by his lightsaber's glow, the Darksider's face was hidden by a black mask, keeping them from seeing his exact expression. His panic, though, was all too evident in the Force as a single green eye, nearly as wide as Kanan was tall, opened beside him. Kanan's breath caught in his throat and his grip on the boys tightened as a second eye blinked open right behind where he was standing, this one tinted blue rather than being pure green. As the pair of monsters shifted and turned, separating from one another in order to stare down at their intruders, he finally realized what they were.

"But- but that's not possible," he breathed, staring up at the form looming above him in the darkness. "The one on Malastare was supposed to be the last-!"

The Darksider had evidently recognized them as well, and tried to flee back the way he'd come, only for a massive foot to slam down atop him. In the same instant, the crimson lightsaber was crushed, plunging the cavern back into pure darkness except for the green and turquoise eyes.

"See?" Phirim said. "Nice monsters. They don't like th' bad guys neither."

Kanan gulped. 'Nice' was not a term he'd apply to a Zillo Beast, not in a hundred years.

"Cool," Ezra grinned, reaching out a hand to pat the scales closest to them. The monster with the turquoise eyes shifted to peer at them more closely, causing Kanan to try and shrink away.

"Okay," he mumbled aloud. "Master Windu told me the story about the last one of these things. We're going to get out of their nest as quickly as possible, and hopefully they won't chase us to the surface."

"They won't chase us!" Phirim announced, completely sure of himself. "They don't like th' bad Force stuff, and we don't have any of it!"

Surprisingly, it seemed that he was right. As Kanan made his way across the cavern, refusing to put down either boy, all the Zillo Beasts did was watch. Once he and his charges were safely into a tunnel on the far side, the Jedi chalked it up to the fact he hadn't attacked either one with a lightsaber, unlike the Darksider who'd been chasing them.

Emerging back onto the moon's surface less than three hundred yards from the _Ghost,_ Kanan finally set his charges back on their feet, letting them run ahead to tell Hera and Zeb all about their adventure. He, in the meantime, simply sat down where he was, trying to recover from the adrenaline rush and subsequent crash.

Hera eventually came out to find him, concerned over the descriptions of the 'nice monsters' and whether or not there was still an Imperial to worry about.

"We're fine for now," Kanan informed her wearily. "But if anyone decides to make a base out here, we need to let them know going underground is a very dangerous idea."

 _A/N: Secret monster cloning project whose results were hidden away by a renegade scientist and forgotten by the Empire, anyone? I have no apologies for this chapter. It also won't be the last time I feature this pair of Zillo Beasts in my AUs, either - I was so mad about them never getting an encore in The Clone Wars that this is my writer's vengeance! Until next time,_

 _-Tri_


	54. 53:Realm of Light, Part 4

Chapter 53 - Realm of Light, Part 4

(Summary: Palpatine attempted to make himself Emperor. Anakin opposed him, and the two died within minutes of each other. As Padme struggles to push past her grief, Obi-wan and the other Jedi attempt to adjust to the knowledge of Anakin's marriage - and his newborn twins.)

 _Takes place three years after Part 3_

A nervous pulse came along the Force bond, causing Ahsoka to nod oh so slightly as she sent back a wave of reassurance. The expression on Leia's face didn't change, but her Master could detect a slight easing of tension as they entered the elevator.

Since Palpatine's death and the end of the war more than a decade before, the Republic had slowly been healing itself. Jedi and groups of clone troopers were still needed to safely deliver relief supplies across the galaxy, catch remaining Separatist holdouts for trial, and encourage fair elections in the more notably corrupt systems. That also meant that, from time to time, a Master-Padawan pair were sent to collaborate with the current Chancellor, in the interest of slowly easing the Jedi back into their peacekeeper role.

At present, the selected pair were Ahsoka and Leia.

More than a little wary of all the finery of the Senate building, the human girl remained on edge. Knowing that this was the main place to have been inhabited by Palpatine while he was alive, not to mention the very same location where her father had died battling the Sith, put more discomfort on her mind than the teen cared to admit.

Emerging from the elevator, the pair nodded to the trooper on guard. He returned the gesture, before gesturing towards the door to the Chancellor's office, just ahead. "Go right on in, Master Jedi, you're expected."

"Thank you, Sergeant." The man stood a little straighter when Ahsoka smiled at him, and Leia grinned a bit as she and her mentor walked onwards.

Entering the office, however, the girl's smile dropped in shock.

Because her _mother_ was sitting behind the Chancellor's desk.

"Good morning, Master Tano," the woman said. As soon as the door slid shut, her polite expression warmed considerably, and she stood to approach and embrace the both of them in turn. "Thank you for coming, Ahsoka. And you, Leia."

"Wh- but you- you're-"

Ahsoka snickered, causing her padawan to shift from confused stammering to an irritated glare. "You didn't warn me!"

"Well, it was _supposed_ to be good practice for keeping a calm face at all times," the Togruta teased.

"Part of the blame lies with me, though - I have, after all, never adequately introduced myself to my children." She caught her daughter's gaze with her own, and smiled. "My full name, Leia, is Padme Naberrie Amidala, secretly of the surname Skywalker, and I was elected to the position of Chancellor in the aftermath of Palpatine's death and the removal of his corrupt underlings."

Leia nodded hesitantly, before frowning. "I'm allowed to tell Luke, right?"

Both older women threw their heads back and laughed. "Yes, dear, you're allowed to tell Luke."

At the end of that day, as they met for dinner in his and Obi-wan's quarters, the male twin wasn't nearly as perturbed by the revelation as his sister had been.

"Well, we knew she'd had something to do with politics during the war," he pointed out. "Or else she and Dad never would've been together on those diplomatic missions." Scowling, Leia refused to be mollified.

"I still think she should've told us... Or Ahsoka and Obi-wan should've, at least."

Luke shook his head. "Why? We didn't need to know when we were younger. And even now, it doesn't make that big a difference - she's still Mom to us, and that's never going to change."

It did make a difference, though, when the Senate building was bombed less than a week later.

At the time, Luke had been training with Leia and Ahsoka since Obi-wan was busy with a Council meeting, and both twins froze when they felt the warning rip through the Force. The Togrutan knight sensed it to a lesser degree, but nonetheless led her charges to the nearest comm console in the Temple.

The news channel was showing live footage from the circular building, smoke pouring from windows on the upper west side.

Leia barely reigned back her panic, for silently informing her twin that their mother's office was right in the middle of the blast zone. Luke stiffened as well, and Ahsoka picked up on their shared distress.

"Chancellor Amidala is inspecting the Clone Trooper Citizen Training center this morning," she murmured, barely loud enough for them to hear. "She's not at the Senate building."

The twins sighed in relief.

"Now you know why we never told you who she really was - that woman always drove your dad crazy when he felt she wasn't taking her personal safety seriously enough. Just as _she_ had to spend weeks or months at a time worrying about him during the War."

"We still have to pretend to know nothing about her," Leia sighed, understanding why Ahsoka was telling them these things.

"And can't let on to others how attached to her." Luke concluded with a sad nod.

"Exactly."


	55. 54: Three Generations, part 4

Chapter 54 - Three Generations, Part 4

(Summary: In a world where certain Attack of the Clones events never happened, Shmi Skywalker-Lars is delighted to meet her grandchildren. Less so about the bounty on their father's head, but still. Her family is once again complete.)

 _Takes place a week after Part 3_

Ahsoka smiled as she looked over the camp filled with hundreds of her boys. There were a lot more than just refugees from the 501st, but when they left the Empire behind it didn't matter what outfit they'd previously belonged to - they were hers.

"Admiring the view, Commander?" Turning, Ahsoka grinned at her old friend coming up to the look-out point.

"Hard not to, Rexter." The clone captain chuckled, taking a seat beside her. The pair had escaped off of Mandalore together during Order 66, and immediately dove into the business of retrieving troopers who had no desire the serve the Empire. Gradually, they'd attracted attention from similar-minded people, gaining offers of aid from Senators of various systems such as Alderaan, Pantora, Naboo, and, of course, Onderon, where they were currently hiding. Sympathetic smugglers would bring them supplies and more refugees: some clones, some civilians, even a handful of Jedi who survived the massacre, Master Obi-wan included.

And speaking of Kenobi...

"He's back sooner than expected," Rex murmured as a familiar ship appeared in the sky above them. "Hopefully that means the scouting mission went well."

Ahsoka didn't answer. She was too busy staring at the incoming craft, trying to make sense of the muted Force signatures she could feel aboard it.

When one of them reached back, her eyes widened.

"Ahsoka-?!" Rex yelped as she sprinted away down the slope. Hurtling through the camp, the Togruta ignored every clone who called out after her, asking what was wrong, focusing only on getting the the landing pad as soon as Obi-wan's ship did.

She reached it just as the ramp was lowering, a fair-sized crowd of troopers swiftly gathering behind her. Obi-wan appeared at the top, grinning in a manner Ahsoka hadn't seen since before she left the Jedi Order.

As for the figure behind him...

"ANAKIN!"

"Ahsoka!" The man ducked around the older Jedi and jogged down the ramp, beaming. He happily grabbed her in a hug, both of them laughing in excitement. "It's so good to see you, Snips!"

"It's great just to know you're alive!" She wriggled out of the embrace just long enough to study him: no new scars, no sign of world weariness - in fact, she'd say Anakin was looking better than she'd ever seen him before.

"General!" Ahsoka had to step aside in order to let her old master clasp forearms with Rex, who'd come running up to them with a huge smile. "We thought you were dead!"

"Yeah, so did the Empire, and that's a good thing. But, hold on, I've got some people for you all to meet." A woman dressed in plain tan garments exited the ship as he spoke, while at the same time, troopers formerly from the 501st and 212th shoved their way to the front of the watching crowd. Quite a few of them called out to the newly-arrived Jedi, causing his grin to grow even wider.

"I'm glad to see so many familiar faces out here," he said, causing ripples of laughter to spread through their audience.

"My goodness," the lady behind him said. "There's certainly a lot of them, aren't there?"

"Not as many as we'd like to have, I'm afraid." Anakin grabbed the woman's hand, tugging her forward slightly. "Ahsoka, Rex, men! I'd happy to introduce to you all my mother, Shmi Skywalker." Stunned silence reigned for a few moments, before excited cheers and rumbles sounded through the ranks. Ahsoka felt her jaw drop, while Rex threw his head back and laughed.

"You're always full of surprises, General." That said, the trooper bowed to Shmi. "Captain Rex, ma'am, at your service. It's an honor to meet you."

"The honor's all mine, Captain. Especially after hearing enough stories to know you're one of the main reasons my Ani made it through the war alive and whole." A knowing gaze turned in Ahsoka's direction. "And you, young lady, are another of those reasons."

Lekku and montrals darkening from a blush, the Togruta couldn't help but smile wistfully. "Well, I can't say it was always my pleasure, since war is war after all... But I'm very glad that of all the Jedi masters I could've been assigned to, it was Anakin who wound up stuck with me."

"I'm glad of that too," Shmi said, reaching forward to pull Ahsoka into a hug. She then did the same with Rex, distracting them both from the other human descending the ramp until she was standing beside them.

"Senator Amidala?"

"Padme!" Another round of hugging ensued, with the brown-haired woman laughing in delight.

"Oh, it's wonderful to see you all again! But, hold on, just a moment." Padme then turned to face Anakin. "The twins don't want to come out."

He blinked. "What? Why?"

"Maybe something to do with the fact they don't remember ever being around more than seven or eight people at a time? As opposed to the crowd of hundreds that's out here?"

Anakin winced. "Right. Well, let me try this then." As her old master looked back towards the ship's entrance, Ahsoka could feel him reaching out through the Force to a pair of beings waiting just out of sight. She tilted her head in curiosity at the flurry of emotions to go back and forth between him and the unknown people, until finally a decision was reached.

"Stubborn kids," Anakin muttered, grin renewed. "But they're coming now. I finally convinced them they're safe with the horde of crazy uncles around."

"Horde of crazy-?" The words died in Rex's throat, and when she too spotted the pair of little kids trotting down the ship's ramp, Ahsoka knew why.

Anakin crouched down to pick up the younglings when they were close enough, only to deposit the boy in Ahsoka's arms and the girl in his captain's. "Luke, Leia, these are your Aunt 'Soka and Uncle Rex."


	56. 55:Reluctant Relations, Part 2

Chapter 55 - Reluctant Relations, Part 2

(Summary: In which Mira Bridger's maiden name was Fett.)

 _Takes place a few days after Part 1_

"Okay, I'll admit it," Boba sighed when he handed the burbling Ezra back to the infant's mother. "He's adorable."

Mira beamed at his words. "See, I knew becoming a tough-as-duracrete bounty hunter couldn't have _completely_ desensitized you to cute things."

"It's desensitized me to unpleasant things. Cuteness just seems amplified now." Smirking as he got his big sister to laugh, Boba allowed his gaze to once again inspect the living room they were in.

Decently furnished for a house in the cheaper part of town, with enough knickknacks and holo-projections present to firmly identify it as a family home, the place was cozy, inviting. A stack of holo-pads rested on the center table, brought from Mira's job while she continued to work from home for another couple months. Some toys were close at hand, as well: a few that Ezra was currently able to play with, along with others he'd have to grow a bit bigger before receiving.

His battle-scarred armor would've been horribly out of place. Thankfully, Boba had come in civilian clothing, blaster and vibro-knives hidden beneath.

Clearing his throat, the seventeen year old waited until he had his sister's full attention. "Ori'vod, tion gar briikase?"

She blinked, startled by his use of Mando'a, but then smiled at what it signified. "Yes, vod'ika. I'm happy here. Ephraim is good to me, to us, and I love him dearly."

"Alright then." Boba nodded firmly. "As long as he continues to, I won't have to do anything unpleasant to him."

"You'd better not!"

Even so, through the course of dinner that evening, Boba did is best to keep Ephraim Bridger off guard. The man treated him warily, with respect as Mira's beloved brother, but held his ground when not-so-subtly belittled or threatened. That he never shrank under the intimidation earned him a measure of Boba's respect, though the teen himself earned more than a few warning looks from his big sister. Ezra simply giggled at it all.

By the time he had to leave the next morning, Boba was resolved to send some of his profits every month to the little family - because even if he only grudgingly liked one of them, the other two were very dear to his heart.

Over the course of the next several years, the pair of Fett siblings kept up their correspondence, even when visits weren't possible. Ezra grew up adoring his Uncle Boba, always eager to see what trinkets the man brought or sent him. Mira would simply roll her eyes at her brother's insistence on spoiling the boy, while Ephraim would try (often without success) to hide his alarm at some of the more dangerous gifts.

The only true point of contention that remained between brother and sister was the matter of Ezra's instruction in his Mandalorian heritage. While his mother remained adamant that the kid would not grow up to be a warrior, while his uncle insisted that it wouldn't hurt to at least pass on some basic self-defense skills. Boba would, at the very least, try to sneak some cultural lessons in when he visited, and despite Mira's disapproval, her son inevitably learned quite a few words in Mando'a, including some of the rather more colorful curses and insults. She reluctantly let her brother have that little victory, as it was one of the few things that both her only remaining blood kin could joyfully bond over. After all, Mira would still have occasional nightmares from the years of the war, when she was alone in the galaxy, no father or brother or anyone else by her side until meeting Ephraim. Her greatest fear was that of loss, of being bereft of family once again.

A few lessons on language and history could be overlooked if it meant her fear was quieted for a while.

The greatest _joint_ fear between her and Ephraim, however, was directed towards the Empire and all it stood for: the powerful trampling over the weak, the poor losing more and more to the wealthy... the Sith wiping out the Jedi.

They'd never openly spoken of it, much less shared anything with Boba, but both the Bridgers highly suspected their son was Force-sensitive. When he was an infant, toys left on the other side of the room would inexplicably wind up within Ezra's grasp. He picked up new words and their meanings almost instantly, far beyond what was typical for a toddler. And once, when he was six, he'd not only managed to nimbly climb up to the top of their roof, but then jumped back down the full distance with hardly a bump or bruise to show for it.

All of this fueled their conviction to keep up the secret broadcasts, to keep a light burning in the darkness. Up until the day the stormtroopers arrived.

Giving him only a few murmured assurances, Mira ushered her seven year old son down into their hidden basement, extracting a promise that he'd stay put no matter what. Then she and Ephraim sealed up the hidden entrance, turning to face the front door just as it was forced open.

That was the last time either of them saw their Ezra. And though he hadn't known it at the time, Boba's visit only a few months before was the last he'd ever see his sister alive.


End file.
